Learning About The Popular Classifications & Types of Office Spaces

One of the most difficult parts of moving out to a new workspace or starting to build your first one from scratch is finding the best type of office design for you. Having a disorganized workspace or not optimizing it to boost productivity can take a toll on your work quality. 

Taking apart the looks of the place, you need to have the right office supplies and furniture for your workstation. This applies to the different office building types and home workspaces.  

Do you want to learn more about the office space types that may fit you best? You’ve landed on the right page. Keep reading to know the popular classifications and types of office spaces. Reading this may help you if you are trying to design a new office layout. 

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of making your office design yourself, you can always rely on the Autonomous Free Workspace Design Service. This service does the job for you and offers excellent deals on its Autonomous office products. 

Classification of Office Spaces

Before getting to the different types of office spaces you can choose for your workstation, you first need to know how to classify those office spaces. That classification is not the same as the type you pick since the former speaks of the quality of the place and the latter of how it works.  

Needless to say, the class you pick determines the budget you’ll need for your office space. That doesn’t mean a Class C office space won’t be enough for you, but you have to look for decent office supplies that don’t make you go over your budget.  

These are the main three classes of office spaces you can try:  

Class A

Class-A workspaces represent the highest and most luxurious office you can get. This also means you need a lot of money to pay for it.  

Where do these office spaces come from? Big companies often pick buildings that weren’t that bad in the past and invest a lot of money in them to match their business. Hence, they often have outstanding looks.  

Since class A office spaces are bigger than other office buildings, they have several common areas such as fitness centers, pool rooms, spa centers, an onsite mailing office, restaurants, and more!  

You can find these office spaces in central business districts and other convenient locations. However, the rent you need to work there is not affordable at all, so you can’t go for this class in this office building if you are working on a budget.

Class B

If you want a high-quality office building but can’t afford a class-A office space, a class-B one is the best option for you. This office class is one of the most common out there since it’s between being a super-luxurious workstation and a cost-effective one.  

Class-B office spaces are good enough to cover everything you need to work while still looking neat, and many of them even were class-A buildings in the past. Why are they class-B offices now? Because they’ve been active for years or haven’t had any renovations in a while.  

If you were to describe class-B offices with a word, it would be average. Thanks to that, rent rates aren’t that high for them.

Class C

Class-C offices are the office class you need to aim for if you are starting a small business or working on a tight budget. These are the most inexpensive office buildings you can pay for, but that also means they don’t offer as many things as others on the market.  

These buildings will only give you what you need to work and no more than that. They are often dated and could even have structural problems, so make sure to run an inspection on the place before moving out to it.  

Don’t expect to move all your office equipment to a class-C office since they don’t offer that much space. Try to go for a compact office design when moving to one of these buildings. 

Are There Different Types of Office Spaces?

Just like there are several office classes, there are also different types of office spaces. How can you know which type to go for? You need to set your priorities when working and the things you need to build your new office layout. 

The office class you pick doesn’t determine the type of office you have to go for, but it limits how many things you can buy for it. Optimizing any of these office building types can boost your productivity, creativity, and work performance, so choose wisely and follow the tips below.

Traditional Office Spaces

As their name suggests, traditional office spaces try to adapt to the traditional look and features offices had back in the day. This office building type is the opposite of what a creative office space offers.  

You may not find more than a reception area, a break room, a conference room, private offices, and some cubicles in these offices.  

However, forget about pools, restaurants, or other common areas. Hence, this will only work for you if your workers don’t have other things to do apart from what office work was about years ago.   

Office workers in traditional office spaces often work in a cubicle-style area where they have an individual space to suit their needs. Those cubicles will most likely have a personal computer and a filing cabinet.  

It’s not difficult to find office cubicle décor ideas out there, and they are often more affordable than the decorations you need for open office designs.  

Accounting firms and law firms often go for traditional workspaces.

Creative Office Spaces

Creative spaces are excellent for marketing and art-related businesses since they encourage workers to think outside the box and feel more comfortable there. Hence, they include games and break rooms.   

You won’t find any cubicles in this type of office workstation since its designers want to keep workers from feeling trapped in a compact place that limits their creativity. Apart from that, these workstations also have open floor plans and tons of collaborative spaces.  

Do you need a space where you can work along with your co-workers on the same project? This is the kind of place you need to get. There’s no need to worry about your budget, though. 

Your money doesn’t determine the creativity of your office building, so you can find creative office spaces in all building classes.   

Flexible Workspaces

Flexible workspaces let you do anything you want with your office, so you can either use these buildings to set a modern office design, a traditional one, or any other office idea you have in mind.  

In a nutshell, flexible office spaces are industrial buildings that give you space to have anything you need for your business in one place. If you, for example, need a place to handle manufacturing and paperwork in the same building, this type of office is the one for you.  

This saves you the money of getting different buildings for your business operations.

Executive Suites

Executive suites are also a traditional workspace, but they give you a different approach to office working than what you would get in the standard office layout. When you rent an executive space, you get a small space for your company to work, and that space often has some office furniture and supplies.  

People who needed to work from home in the past often went to this type of office. However, where do these workstations come from? Well, small law firms or remote sales teams lease executive suites to small businesses or remote workers.  

Naturally, executive suites don’t give you all the things you would get in a regular office, but paying for them still gives you a receptionist, private offices, conference rooms, printer machines, and a business mailing address.  

Collaborative Workstation

Collaborative workstations, or co-working spaces, are a bit different from the other office building types on this page. This is the best option for you if you are working on a budget and don’t have money to pay for office furniture or tech accessories. 

In a nutshell, they are private office spaces with desks, chairs, and even laptops where you can work if you pay for a monthly or weekly subscription.  

Nonetheless, the design of this type of office building encourages the people there to work together to progress in their individual projects, even if they don’t work together. Hence, social interactions on collaborative workstations are inevitable.  

Co-working spaces are excellent for freelancers or remote workers of a company. Some businesses even ask their workers to work in these office buildings to promote flexible working without paying for the rates of a flexible workstation.  

Nonetheless, since you pay a subscription to work on these preset offices for a time, not all of them let you get office décor for them.   

This type of office design is like a modern version of what executive suites do.

What Do I Need for an Office Space?

Regardless of the office class or types of office spaces you go for, there are some things you can’t miss in your workstation. These office products are what make your workspace a productive one, so make sure you don’t miss them.  

These are the main things you should invest in when designing a new office layout: 

1. Standing Desks

The first thing you should get for your office is a stand-up desk. This product allows you to work while standing and sitting, so it’s excellent for your back health.

2. Ergonomic Chairs

Even if you get a standing desk, you should always have a place to sit in your workspace, so don’t forget about getting an office chair for your desk. Nonetheless, if you want to reduce back pain, you should get an ergonomic chair.

3. Office Supplies

Although chairs and desks are the main equipment you need for your workstation, you also need some other office supplies to start working in a new workspace. Try to invest in a desk tray, cable tray, filing cabinets, and tech accessories.

4. Lighting

You can’t work in a place where you can’t see what you are doing, so you have to fully illuminate your office before working there. Get an office lamp and some LED lights, and you are ready to work!

5. Decorations

Although you already have all the things you need to work you need some decorations to lighten up the place. You can get some professional office desk decoration ideas from our experts.

About The Autonomous Free Workspace Design Service

Are you having trouble designing your office space? Autonomous can save you the hassle of doing it. This company released a new Free Workspace Design service that gives you what you need to set up your workstation without spending any time on it.  

You only have to send Autonomous what you want for your office, and it’ll send you your bespoke design in five business days. 

Since Autonomous is also an ergonomics company, it offers excellent bulk deals for its products to the people who hire these services.   

Final Thoughts

There are many things to take into account when designing a new office layout, but you need to get an office that meets your work needs. However, you are good to go, as long as you have the office essentials mentioned on this page.  

Besides that, just pick a building class you can afford and a type of office that matches your work style.  

If you don’t want to do those things, you can always hire the Autonomous Free Workspace Design Service!