The fact that an appropriate spatial concept promotes creative work and brainstorming no longer needs to be discussed in depth here – this is a proven scientific fact. The verrocchio Institute is also consulted time and again to provide advice and support in the implementation of creative spaces and working environments.
But what does a creative space look like? And what needs to be considered? If you want to quickly approach the topic of “creative spaces”, you can start by using Google image search. Here you can find pictures and first impressions under the following search terms:
- Google image search: “creative office workspaces”
- Google image search: “design thinking workspaces”
- Google image search: “innovation lab”
You will certainly come across these types of examples of creative spaces there:
Properties of creative spaces
What unites this type of space? A creative space is characterized by the following features:
- Encouraging interaction through seating groups
- Stimulation of creativity through quotes, colors and unusual furniture
- Free choice of workplace
- Workplaces for co-creation
- Large tables and work surfaces
- Additional sources of inspiration, such as libraries
- Natural and direct light
Special room types
In addition to rooms that generally stimulate creativity, there are also rooms that serve a very specific purpose. An example of a room ideally suited to design thinking can be found on the Hasso Plattner Institute website. The focus here is on a very flexible room concept with movable furniture.
A book recommendation at this point is the book “Design Thinking – Das Handbuch”, published by Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch. Here, too, the topic of “creative spaces” is dealt with in great detail.
Characteristics of design thinking spaces:
- Furniture is flexible thanks to castors
- All surfaces are writable
- There are trouble-free work areas
- Tools and prototyping material should be available in 7 seconds
- All results can be left hanging for a long time
In addition to special creative spaces for design thinking, there are also other types. Here are a few types of space that have emerged in recent years and established themselves for creative work:
- Brainstorming room
- Prototyping areas
- Presentation areas
- Work lounges
- Open Meeting Points
- Break areas
- Study Booth
- Touchdown rooms
- Libraries
- Relaxation rooms
- Sports rooms
- Design Thinking Lab
- Design Thinking Floor
- Open Archive.
My current favourite room concept for an initial creative space set up by a team or organization is the “everyone-brings-something-to-it room” or the “everybodies room”. The procedure is as follows: Once a sufficiently large room has been found, a campaign is launched to accompany the project, the aim of which is for all employees involved to bring a piece of furniture from home to furnish the room. This ranges from floor coverings, seating and tables to shelves, flowers and everything that makes the room an inspiring oasis for creative work.
This concept combines the following key advantages in one room:
- The furnishings are comparatively inexpensive
- The room is guaranteed to look different from any other room in the company
- The room is also a bit like home for each participant
- The space conveys a new mindset, such as in start-ups
- It contributes directly to a new culture of thinking and innovation
As you can see, the topic of creative space is extremely complex and can play a central role at different levels. Basically, we can only encourage you to get to grips with the concept of a creative space. You will be amazed at the effect such rooms can have on people!
