Open Plan Office
Open plan office design speeds up team communication when it is executed correctly and reduces productivity when it is not. The difference is not created by removing walls, but by what is put in place of the walls that were removed. In our open plan office projects in Ankara, we begin by observing how teams actually work rather than how the organisation chart says they work.
The known weakness of the open plan is acoustics. Once a wall is removed, sound travels freely and people retreat to headphones in order to concentrate — which cancels out the very communication the model promises. The solution is layered: an acoustic ceiling surface with a high sound absorption value, dividing acoustic panels between work groups, carpet or an acoustic underlay on the floor, and where necessary a background masking system. Applying only one of these items does not solve the problem.
The second decisive choice is zoning. A plan where everyone sits in a single volume mixes different ways of working together. A healthy open plan contains at least three zones: high-interaction team areas, quiet focus zones, and phone booths or small meeting niches for short conversations. If the number of booths is not planned as a ratio of headcount, the open plan's "conversation everywhere" problem returns.
In desk layout, a back-to-back arrangement reduces visual disturbance compared with facing desks. Keeping the back of screens away from corridors matters for both privacy and focus. Circulation axes should not pass immediately behind work desks; constant movement in the field of view breaks concentration.
Daylight distribution is a major advantage in an open plan, but it has to be managed. Desks placed at the window edge suffer screen glare through the day, so desks are oriented perpendicular to the window and solar control is handled with an adjustable system rather than a curtain. Enclosed volumes — meeting rooms, storage, technical areas — are pulled away from the facade line towards the core wherever possible.
For lighting, a solution that differentiates by zone is preferred over a uniform ceiling fixture layout: task lighting at desks, softer general lighting in shared areas, and a separate circuit for meeting zones. This separation lowers energy consumption and distinguishes the zones perceptually.
Flexibility is the open plan's most valuable property, and it is delivered only through infrastructure. Distributing power and data through a raised floor or ceiling cable trunking allows desks to be rearranged as team sizes change. With fixed socket solutions, every layout change requires construction work.
open plan office design ankara — What this service covers
- Corporate Image
- Employee Productivity
- Design Impact
- Collaboration Spaces
- Acoustic Panels
- Natural Lighting
Frequently asked questions
How should desks be laid out in an open plan?
A back-to-back arrangement reduces visual disturbance compared with desks that face each other. Keeping the back of screens away from corridors matters for both privacy and focus. Circulation axes should not run immediately behind work desks, because constant movement within the field of view breaks concentration and produces the fatigue that open plans are often blamed for.
How is daylight managed in an open plan office?
Desks at the window edge suffer screen glare through the day, so desks are oriented perpendicular to the window and solar control is handled with an adjustable system rather than a fixed curtain. Enclosed volumes such as meeting rooms, storage and technical areas are moved away from the facade line towards the core, so daylight reaches the working field instead of blank walls.
How is lighting planned in an open plan office?
A solution that differentiates by zone is preferred over a uniform grid of ceiling fixtures: task lighting at work desks, softer general lighting in shared areas, and a separate switching circuit for meeting zones. This separation lowers energy consumption and distinguishes the zones of the space perceptually, so people register that they have moved between areas without any signage.
How is the noise problem solved in an open plan office?
The solution is layered: an acoustic ceiling surface with a high sound absorption value, dividing acoustic panels between work groups, carpet or an acoustic underlay on the floor, and a background masking system where required. Applying only one of these items does not solve it. When acoustics fail, people retreat to headphones and the communication the model promises disappears.
Which zones should an open plan office contain?
A healthy open plan contains at least three zones: high-interaction team areas, quiet focus zones, and phone booths or small meeting niches for short conversations. If the number of booths is not planned in proportion to headcount, the open plan's problem of conversation happening everywhere returns, and the quiet zones stop functioning as quiet zones.
How is an open plan office kept flexible?
Flexibility comes from infrastructure. Distributing power and data lines through a raised floor or ceiling cable trunking allows desks to be rearranged without construction work when team sizes change. With fixed socket solutions, every change to the arrangement requires renovation, so the layout gradually becomes frozen and stops matching how the teams actually work.