Work station design....better late than...

[Mark Singer]

Well with this being on the list through 2 new years ...it is time to kick it off! We had a great year at the office! My best yet! I have a great team of 4 of us an an office manager that has a seperate desk and comes in 3 times a week. My desk is in the conference area. I will probably use the same design language to create work stations for myself and othe office manager. On the front desk will go thre keyboard, CPU on the floor, and I will get new flat screen monitors and mount to the column or new wood surround, I am thinking of using sheet goods....probably quarter sawn oak....(double the cost of plan sliced maple!)
Comments please!

[Jim Becker]

Very nice, Mark. Just remember the ergonomics necessary for safe and comfortable computer use...if you mount the flat screens from the steel column, the mounting system needs to be able to get the screen in front of the user without them turning their body and at a height, vertical angle and distance comfortable for their eyes. (Do go with digital hookups {DVI} for the best image quality with little or no eye strain...those new 20" wide screens from Dell are awesome!) Keyboard/rodent/tablet height is also critical. Adjustable is nice for maximum flexibility since every person is a different size in all respects.

I think the flying overhead mounting panel and/or cabinets will really go well in the space having seen it on my visit. Great storage without destroying the wonderful open-ness of the office structure, yet providing a little sound dampening.

[Jamie Buxton]

Mark --
You know Doug Mockett? (www.mockett.com) They've got lots of workstation-type hardware with designs that would fit in with your esthetic.

Jamie

[Ryan Singer]

here's some ideas Dad...

I was just messing around with this program ArchiCad and it has some funny office equipment.. some of which my dad doesn't have in his office..

you need more surface space for laying stuff on so I thought the flat files could be moved and made in to sample tables that you can walk around.. also, you need to store all the Sh** against that back wall where your plotter is. you can just buy more of those Metro shelves.

good luck with your designs

luv, rye

[Jim Becker]

Ryan, I don't recommend shelves for the screens...too inflexible in height, etc., but otherwise, that's an excellent rendering. I really like the reflection on the door...nice feature. Seem to be a few windows missing on that back wall!!

BTW, I believe that ArchiCAD integrates with SketchUp! if my memory serves...

[Kevin Arceneaux]

Nice

The only thing that bothers me is monitor placement. When my wife and I were setting up her home office, the was the major pain. Each person likes it different, due to a person's height, the way they feel most comfortable. I ended up making a 6" box for her to set her monitor on, it also gave her a little cubby to put frequently used things in. If you mount the monitor on a steel pillar or on the wall, you will need to cutomize each person's setup. And if that person moves, leaves, etc, it will have to be redone for the next person to use that space.

The keyboard is the next important thing. When doing my wife's office, we went up down and just about all around setting it up. She finally ended up getting a keyboard tray and learning to set it up and use it correctly took a while.

BTW, she is a Medical Transciptionist and computer setup is important for comfort. She works for a company out of PA and her cloest account is 120 miles away and her other one is 2000 miles away. She has never met anyone with the company, though she has talked to them over the phone.

[Jim Becker]

Kevin, the nice thing about LCD monitors is that they virtually all support VESA mounting hardware which often takes the form of articulated arms, etc. In that manner, the screen can be exactly positioned for an individual user's comfort and preference.

But that brings up another though relative to Ryan's design...his positioning of the screens means that everyone has their back to the traffic pattern and the rest of the room. Many folks don't like that. Mark's original positioning (which matches the current configuration) at least has folks facing the "front" of the room where the main entry door is as well as Uncle Mark's "office"...he can't sneak up on them that way!!

I do like the flats cabinets in the middle so folks can 'gather 'round to discuss the nuances of a design.

[Kevin Arceneaux]

Thanks Jim, I wasn't sure on how they would be mounted. I had visions of them being mounted like pictures.

[Jim Becker]

CPU on the floor

Mark, consider using hardware to keep the CPU off the floor...easier houskeeping, more secure and keeps the floorline "clean". Example shown below of how mine is. This really got rid of a lot of the cables from the floor, too. The bottom of the CPU in the pic is 10" off the pine flooring.

[Jim Becker]

Kevin, if you look on the back of an LCD monitor (you may need to remove a cover), you'll find a pattern of 4 bolt/screw holes. There is a ton of aftermarket accessories that mate with that hole pattern...in fact, if you look at the hardware reference that Jamie provided, on the right side of the page near the middle is a picture/link to some monitor arm assemblies that will help illustrate the utility of this arrangement!

[Scott Coffelt]

One suggestion I have is think of noise and how to absorb. Lots of hard surfaces create a movement and reflection of noise. You might want to think about how you can incorporate pin-up boards, or material to dampen.

I used to work in a large evironment with tons of people. The company spent some serious time thinking about how items reflect noise.

Also, people do enjoy some sense of privacy, so making completely open can take away from that. Not that people spend all day working on things non-work related... it does happen and you do want to give them at least some feeling of privacy. I do like the share work spaces also, as it can create a sense of teamwork.

[Mark Singer]

Very interesting suggestions so far. Ryan knows the space well and it will be interesting to see how his layout works....and what the other architects in the office have to say. The importance of the monitor mounting is a good point also. I still like my idea where a long continuous bar...the storage module, runs the length supporting the tables and becoming a unifying element in the linear space.

[Kevin Arceneaux]

Jim - I like that. That is a nice way of getting desk space back and being able to adjust the monitor to EXACTLY where it is best for the user. Though, 4 monitors would drive me nuts. Though I have seen pictures of the guy who created an airplane cockpit with 10 or so monitors.

Mark - it would be nice if you could get the mounting hardware to match the steel in the office space, they would all go together.

To futher carry about lifting the CPU's off the floor would be to mount them where they could be pulled out to access the back for moving cables, etc around. Either by putting a slide ot mounting the whole thing on casters or something like that. It would make it a snap to clean behind also. Just make sure their is enough room to provide ventilation to keep the CPU's and video cards cool.

A tray accross the back, underneath the work surface may be worth adding. This will hide the wires/cables and keep them from getting underfoot. I am planning on putting one on the computer desk I am planning for my computer. One wing, where the monitor, keyboard, and mouse will be, will jut out into the room, and I am tired of seeing the rat's nest of wire and cables as in the existing desk.

[Jim Becker]

A tray accross the back, underneath the work surface may be worth adding. This will hide the wires/cables and keep them from getting underfoot.

Another excellent suggestion.

A cable tray/channel is pretty much non-optional in today's office environments, whether at home or in a business. So much technology is part of the "desk" environment, that not dealing with cabling up front is a major oversight. I can't tell you how much difference it's made in my office (located here in the house) since I got rid of the rat's nest...we can actually clean the floor right to the walls which is important since I have dust allergies.

[Kevin Arceneaux]

Thanks. We looked at a LOT of desks when we were setting up Jan's office and I do not remember seeing any that had that. Even with the things to get them out of the way, you can still see them and it makes any area look like junk. If I had the tools then that I have now......