Modularity and the Elastic Interior
One great way to make your interior space elastic is through modular furniture and construction. Don't be locked into one layout or use!
A Perfect Pair
If asked to name a classic duet, you might think of things like peanut butter and jelly, yin and yang, gin and tonic, or Batman and Robin. We have a new perfect pairing that we think deserves to be well known: Modularity and Elasticity.
With the pandemic teaching us how our business and the space we work in needs to be agile and resilient, the question then follows: How? How can we create a space that allows us to be agile and resilient? How can we create an "Elastic Interior" that stretches, changes, and grows with our needs?
Modularity
Modularity, much like the elastic interior, is not a new concept. Modularity is simply designing a space in "modules" or units that are easily movable, reproducible, and interchangeable. Creating a modular system will allow you to easily change your space as your needs change. Consider incorporating modularity into two parts of your interior: modular furniture and modular construction.
Modular Furniture
We recommend finding a system of furniture that has the "same kit of parts", ie, parts that are interchangeable and work together. This allows you to create modules for different purposes that become the building blocks of your office. The most basic building block would be one workstation. Create these modules in sizes that work interchangeably, such as the footprint of four desks being the same as a collaborative space. You can then move these modules around or replace them based on the changing needs of your team.
Modular Construction
Creating furniture modules is very helpful, but if you are stuck with the same floorplate, there is only so much rearranging you can do. However, if you start with modular construction, you can not only move the furniture around, you can move the walls, the power, the lighting...everything!
Demountable walls, or prefabricated construction, allow you to set up your floorplate based on your current needs without fear of locking yourself in to something that won't be good for the future. Easily change a large conference room into two smaller focus rooms, a private office into a common area, etc with near zero down time and minimal to no permitting. DIRTT walls come fully equipped with power, so power accessibility moves just as easily as the walls themselves.
Demountable walls are not just for offices; they have applications for healthcare and higher education as well. Imagine being able to quickly renovate your ICU bays to control airflow for COVID-19 patients. Imagine redoing an entire education building with integrated technology and writable surfaces, all while students are on a break. The applications of modular interior construction are endless!
What Can DIRTT Do for You
Watch the video to see the possibilities of an application of prefabricated construction in your space.
