Your brain operates, thrives and delivers best in clever workspaces
"Our brains require a variety of stimuli, such as talk time, playtime, communal time, focus time, and idle time, to function optimally and generate fresh ideas for our daily work tasks.
When we spend long hours sitting in the same chair, working on the same task, our brain may signal that it needs a break. Taking a walk or doing something else to relax can help us come up with better solutions and ideas when we return to work."
In a recently published booklet, the LAIKA Space Design CEO Lene Becker Bang explains how workplace designs should provide the best possible conditions for your brain to perform, thrive and deliver.
The LAIKA booklet ´Design for Mental Well-Being - Make Space for Your Brain at Work´ features contributions from several experts who reflect on the influence of the brain on activity-based workplace design.
Change and variation
"Research has demonstrated that our brains operate at their best when we involve ourselves in a variety of activities throughout the day. To enhance our learning and achieve maximum productivity, it is crucial to incorporate changes and diversity into our daily routine.
This is where activity-based work environments and space design play important roles. By taking a comprehensive approach and considering a wide range of work-related activities, we can create a workspace that promotes both productivity and creativity," Lene Becker Bang says.
  Our brains require a variety of stimuli - such as talk time, playtime, communal time, focus time, and idle time - to operate optimally and generate fresh ideas for all our daily work tasks. Photos: Secondhome.io |
Understanding individual differences and activities, and selecting the appropriate framework, is essential for creating optimal workflow and job satisfaction in your company or organization, as stated by Lene Becker Bang.
LAIKA's "Design for Mental Well-being" booklet offers guidance on how to create a knowledge workplace that can nurture, inspire and rejuvenate your creative brain in cleverly designed spaces such as common spaces, focus rooms, playrooms, spaces to retreat, and spaces to move.
Neurodiversity
Recent studies have shown that a significant portion of employees in your workplace, about one in seven, are neurodivergent. This means that their brains operate, process and learn information differently from their "neurotypical" colleagues.
Neurodivergent individuals may have conditions such as autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and varying degrees of difficulty concentrating and focusing.
 "The brain benefits from diverse activities throughout the day. Change and variety are essential for optimal learning," LAIKA CEO Lene Becker Bang points out. |
"Embracing neurodiversity is crucial for all truly inclusive workplaces, as neurodiverse individuals often possess unique perspectives and problem-solving abilities.
"Creating an environment accommodating special needs can lead to increased creativity and value-adding innovation," Lene Becker Bang emphasizes.
Space and frames
Over the past 15 years, LAIKA Space Design - with its headquarters located in a most activity-optimized, inspiring, and all-embracing office environment in the NV district of Copenhagen - has specialized in developing and designing work and learning spaces for companies, organizations, and institutions.
Most recently, the Danish interior design and space frontrunners have created cleverly designed, activity-based work environments for the world-famous LEGO, Novo Nordisk, the software company Visma, and the legal advisor to the Danish Government, Poul Schmith.
 Work environments that make great efforts to meet and fulfil special needs are able to generate increased creativity and value-adding innovation. Graphic: LAIKA Space Design |
"We at LAIKA are deeply interested in understanding and continuously learning about the brain's functionality while at work, whether in a company or educational institution.
By actively relating to how the brain works and operates and how space design affects our behaviour and experiences, we can develop effective strategies and take constructive action. Providing an appropriate framework and space is essential for optimal brain function," Lene Becker Bang underlines. ●
Read more:
Contact Laika-rumdesign.dk regarding ´Design for mental well-being´
He-interiors.co.uk: What are the effects of interior design on our mental health
Techround.co.uk: The impact of office design on employee wellbeing and productivity
Workinmind.org: The relationship between flexible office design and workplace wellbeing
