Tiny houses have evolved from a twee trend into a viable design solution for combatting homelessness, densifying cities, and making vacations more affordable. It's also creeping into office design, as a new workspace for the tech startup Coroflot shows.

The Portland, Oregon design studio Los Osos tapped the fad when it set out to build a 280-square-foot office for Coroflot, an online design-services directory and community that was beginning to build out its team. The company didn't want to shell out for something that it would quickly outgrow; however, it didn't want to compromise on design in the present, either. Working with a $40,000 budget, Los Osos created a space that clearly communicates Coroflot's creative vision, can grow with the company, and makes the most of resources at hand—including a mobile office-on-wheels.

Via fastcodesign.com 

Depending on who you ask, open work spaces are the best thing to come along since sliced bread, or they’re the devil’s invention to sow chaos and discord among employees. Fair-minded managers and efficiency experts say that the open office space plan can be both a blessing and a curse; it all depends on how it’s structured and supported. Remember that the original purpose of the open office was to bust employees out of their mind-numbing cubicles to increase their satisfaction and efficiency. The jury is still out as to whether this has succeeded one-hundred percent. My own office space has both open and closed areas. Here’s a look at the pros and cons to help you see what you might do if you’re considering an open office space.

Via forbes.com 

New office designs are focused on ways to engage the employee by appealing to their senses and creating diverse workspaces. Increasingly, workers are seeking a better work environment and some would even settle for slightly less pay.

A happy employee is a loyal and productive employee.  Is your office a great place to work?  How about kick-starting the year with an office re-design that will maximize employee happiness and business performance?

Via jllrealviews.com 

Noise levels are one of the biggest sources of workplace complaints. As well as hampering productivity, prolonged exposure to even relatively low levels of office noise leads to elevated stress levels.

To tackle the growing levels of office noise complaints, we're looking at seven changes you can make to create a quieter office space for clients.

Via millikencarpet.com 

We’ve all been there. You’re crashing on a last minute project at work and the person next to you is going on about their plans for the weekend, clearly not getting the hint that you’re in the thick of it. So what do you do? Pop in those ear buds and not so subtly say, “I’m busy!”

This scenario is becoming more and more common as offices transition to open floor plans and shared workspaces. While the majority of today’s workers welcome collaboration and open communication there will always be a place for focused, individual work. So, how do organizations accommodate these different needs? Start by identifying the different work styles within your office.

Via ki.com

First, let’s define what constitutes a poor acoustic environment. According to this report, it could mean a couple different things. Number one: That the office contains unwanted noise or distractions such as the traffic outside or unsettling background sounds indoors, like phones ringing. And No. 2, there is too much quiet. To quote the review:

“By creating quiet you end up with a library, a place where you can hear a pin drop, when someone coughs it shatters the silence, if someone dare speak everyone is listening whether interested or not in the content of the conversation. You know the office is too quiet when people leave the office to make phone calls and this is a common occurrence.”

The solution, on the most basic level, to create an environment of audio comfort is to amplify some sounds (example: speech) while minimizing others (like background noise, traffic). Reaching audio comfort will supposedly increase productivity in the workplace.

Via dancker.com