As summer begins to wind down and we return to the office from vacations, we thought we would explore the ever-growing trend of flexible office environments.

From American Express and GlaxoSmithKline, to Facebook and hundreds of other companies, businesses have been shifting away from cubicle-style floor plans to a mix of individual and collaborative work areas.

More Collaborative Spaces

It's not just the layout of the office that is making a difference. Metropolis magazine takes a look at a new office system designed by Yves Behar and fuseproject. The design, titled "PUBLIC Office Landscape," addresses the desire for employees to collaborate at a desk area. This allows individuals or groups to use a desk area equipped with storage bins, mobile privacy screens and more.

Another take on the fluid workspace is the practice of "hot-desking." This practice allocates desks to workers when they are required or on a rotating system, rather than giving each worker their own desk.

Flooring's Role

So how does flooring fit into this new workplace paradigm shift? When it comes to carpet, it can be pretty important. Consider the following:

• Way-Finding — Carpet color and patterning can help with way-finding and navigation between spaces, such as down hallways or corridors.
• Space Differentiation – Carpet can create differentiation between different spaces when moving between office departments or different end-use areas.
• Acoustics – Open spaces, bereft of offices or cubicles, can sometimes be loud and noisy. Carpet's inherent acoustics can make workspaces quieter, contributing to greater productivity.
• Visual Balance — Carpet provides a nice visual balance and design element when paired with a hard surface such as wood or LVT in an open floor plan.

What are your thoughts? Do you work in an open/flexible office? If you specify flooring, how are you using various flooring to create the open, flexible and productive workspaces of today?