As workplace design evolves, businesses have shifted away from too many private offices and boxed cubicles for each employee and towards more open floor plans. In recent years, the open plan layout has dominated workspaces in various sectors of the professional world, with advocates claiming that it promotes an interactive and collaborative work environment. Although an open floorplan can have several benefits, are there any drawbacks to an open layout? Recent research has delved into how an open-plan workplace layout can impair privacy, focus, and engagement. But how does one design a workspace that balances the advantages and disadvantages? The solution is to create a workspace that is both private and engaging.

One solution to mitigate the pitfalls of an open floor plan is to incorporate phone booths and meeting pods into your workplace design. This article will define phone booths, their benefits, the advantages and disadvantages of modular vs. built-in pods. Continue reading to learn why and how to incorporate phone booths in your next office design.

What Are Phone Booths?

Phone booths are free-standing pods that can be placed within a larger space such as an office. They resemble traditional telephone boxes in shape and concept but are optimized for professional application. They offer multiple benefits such as enhanced privacy, noise cancellation, and fewer distractions. They are particularly suited for one or two individuals and therefore ideal for those who want to have a meeting without wearing headphones or who need undisturbed work.

What Are Meeting Pods?

Meeting pods, like phone booths, are semi-private self-contained pods that can be integrated into any workplace environment. They are alternative solutions for large conference rooms and aid in reducing noise pollution caused by loud meetings between coworkers. Meeting pods are fully enclosed and acoustically quiet, making them ideal for discussing sensitive material. Furthermore, they are not limited to formal business meetings. They are often employed as multi-purpose spaces that serve as informal conversations, proving your firm to potential clients, or as flexible event spaces.

Benefits Of Phone Booths:

• Privacy- they offer a safe, secure space to give employees the privacy they want. Working in a one-person phone booth, can protect the confidentiality of work details, meetings, and personal conversations of employees.
• Noise cancellation– with acoustic properties, they can comfortably challenge any outside noise pollution.
• Reduce distractions– the enclosed spaces are optimized to allow for fewer distractions. Employees have greater flexibility in how they work when they can take time apart from the rest of the group in an open floor plan office.
• Offer more control- When your employees feel confined in a noisy workplace and cannot escape, they may feel that they are losing control of their work and focus. Phone booths and meeting pods allow employees to take a short break and enjoy a quieter environment, giving them a sense of control. Employees are thus more satisfied, productive, and have stronger motivation at work.

Difference Between Modular And Built-In Phone Booths

A modular office pods are uniform, prefabricated units or modules. Well-designed modular pods can be taken apart and moved to another location. They have several benefits and are a great way to supply more flexibility in the office. An alternative to pre-built booths is to dedicate the construction budget to more traditional meeting rooms or phone booths. Contractor-built models, while less modular, can be more customizable to match your company’s needs. Both types of booths have benefits and drawbacks, so deciding which is ideal for your company requires some thought. We’ve compiled a list of the pros and cons of modular and built-in pods so you can decide which one is best for your team’s operations.

Pros And Cons

Modular Pros

Flexible: Modular pods allow teams to shape and then reshape their work environment with ease. They are easily adaptable to different environments and can be positioned in various locations throughout the workplace.

Cost effective: Without construction and build-in costs modular pods are a fraction of the price of built-in booths.

Time saving: Because modular pods are pre-built, installation is simple and can be completed in a few hours or less. They are built with several safety measures, so businesses don’t have to lose time or money chasing permits, contractors, or anything else.

Modular Cons

One size doesn’t fit all: Because they are pre-designed and built, some modular offices pods features, and production attributes may not meet your staff specific needs.

Built-In Pros

Integrate better into the office: They can better merge with the rest of the floorplan because they are designed directly into your office design. From enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity to improved air flow, built-in booths can be better integrated with other workplace amenities.

Built-In Cons

Costly: Due to construction costs and getting permits for installation after a renovation is complete, built-in phone booths and meetings pods can cost more than their modular alternatives.

Less mobile: They cannot be moved easily inside the office area because they are embedded directly into it. To move a built-in booth, you must hire a construction company to disassemble it and reassemble it in a new location.

Take a look at these three fantastic options that can make your office a little more peaceful.

1. Loop Booths: Loop Phone Booths are modern office pods that improve the experience of open-concept offices. Offered in a wide range of finishes, Loop Phone Booths are high quality, fully customizable furniture fit for any open interior space. Designed and handcrafted in Canada by the award-winning studio Onetwosix, Loop creates unexpected design solutions to everyday workplace problems through the lens of sustainability, beauty, and functionality.
2. Inbox Booths: Inbox booths create modular booths that are designed to remove up to 35 decibels of ambient noise. Their booths are very adjustable to your unique needs, with four distinct sizes to pick from and several furniture configurations. They have great connective capabilities with standard features like a Bluetooth microphone and speaker, as well as motion activated lights and a whisper quiet ventilation system. Furthermore, because they are prefabricated, Inbox pods can be disassembled and transported or repurposed in the future for new purposes.
3. Kubicle: Designed to ensure the comfort of employees working in open office concepts or in a manufacturing environment, Kubicle’s mission is to reduce outside noise and supply acoustic comfort that helps people focus on what they do the best. They offer two distinct models, the standard and the premium phone booth.

In Conclusion

Overall, both phone booths and meeting pods offer several benefits to counteract the pitfalls of an open office floor plan. From increasing privacy to decreasing noise pollution, these soundproof self-standing pods are the perfect addition to any space. We at AURA have incorporated phone booths and meeting pods into our office design and have seen firsthand the benefits. Contact Us to learn more about utilizing phone booths in your next office design.

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