When designing an office building, one of the key considerations to be mindful of is enhancing productivity. After all, an office building’s main function is to facilitate a positive work environment. While its impact is often underestimated, office design is one of the most influential factors when it comes to productivity. A poorly designed office can create environmental distractions such as excess noise, which makes it harder for employees to accomplish their work. If you’re in the midst of an office remodel, here are some design tips to improve productivity in your office building.

Minimize noise

Not all offices need to be dead quite in order to create a positive work environment. However, there’s no denying that loud, echoing noise isn’t ideal for productivity. As such, it’s important to find ways to reduce noise travel in your office as much as possible. Examples of ways to mitigate noise in your office include implementing sound-absorbing materials such as mineral wool, acoustic mesh panels, and mass-loaded vinyl into the walls, floor, and ceiling of the building.

Optimize lighting

Lighting has a larger impact on productivity than many people realize. In addition to ensuring that people can clearly see the work they’re completing, lighting can greatly affect one’s mood.

If a space is poorly lit and appears dingy, it can make employees feel lethargic and unmotivated. To boost employees’ moods—and their productivity—make sure to prioritize ample lighting when designing your office. The lighting plan of an office building should include a good blend of both artificial and natural lighting.

Consider color carefully

Similar to lighting, the color that you choose to paint your office can also have a large impact on the mood and productivity of employees. Different colors facilitate different physical and emotional responses.

When it comes to improving productivity, blue is typically believed to be the optimum choice. However, the ideal color that you paint your office will largely depend on your industry and the overall tone you hope to present. For example, if you work in a creative field, shades of green may be ideal. For those seeking to enhance innovative thinking and detail orientation among their employees, warmer colors such as reds or oranges are often thought to be best.

Give your employees some space to breath

Another building design tip to improve productivity in your office is to create a layout that facilitates movement. While it may be tempting to cram as many desks into your office as possible to optimize space, doing so could impair the productivity of employees and ultimately hurt your company’s success in the long run.

Studies show that taking short breaks to get up and walk around periodically throughout the day can greatly increase productivity. To ensure that your employees stay mentally sharp and don’t get burnt out, it’s a good idea to create an environment that fosters movement.