Workplace Element: Tiered Seating Areas
As months pass by, one element I am seeing pop up in new office designs is that of the tiered seating area. I’ve spent some time thinking about why a company would want one rather than a table and chairs, and I think I may have come up with a few basic reasons.
- Once you get past 10 chairs or so, they can use less space
- Presentations are front-and-center creating a less distracted audience
- People in the back can see easily
- Great spaces to host educational sessions
- Eye-catching design: The straight lines simply look fantastic
Beyond the simple reasons above, Primo Orpilla of Studio O+A believes that these features have begun to pop up “because of a necessity for variety within the workplace. The standard kit of parts just isn’t adequate anymore, especially among younger companies.” Lastly he added that “they provide a non-traditional area for conversation, much the same way that student unions are used at universities.”
Let’s take a peek at a few examples from around the world:
