SLIDING DOORS

Open Planning

Studies of 20th century open-plan office planning have shown that there are both positive and negative effects for workers. According to an extensive Australian study, 84 percent of workers would prefer to work in closed rather than open-plan offices. “High levels of stress and conflict, elevated blood pressure, and rapid staff turnover were associated with open-plan environments, according to review author Vinesh Oommen. “Employees face a multitude of problems such as the loss of privacy, loss of identity, low work productivity, various health issues, overstimulation and low job satisfaction when working in an open plan work environment,” Oommen wrote in a recent Asia-Pacific Journal of Health Management.”⁴

The advantages of open plans include the ability to re-configure work areas for different employee clusters, shared communications, more open management styles, shared daylight, and the reduction of constructed floor area per user making construction cheaper. Examining both the requests for enclosure as well as an interest in flexible configurations by employers, the design professional can choose from a number of office systems, conference room dividers, privacy walls and drywall enclosures. Sliding glass doors designed as office partitions can be the answer to both questions of privacy as well as flexibility and daylight sharing.

Just as there are different learning styles, there are also different individual work styles. In addition, different types of work require different spaces. Research, client meetings, focused deskwork may well require a space with greater acoustic privacy. By using a sliding glass door, the employer can promote different configurations in the same space. The employee can slide open the door partitions to share in the office brainstorming or close them for greater privacy.

A glass and aluminum sliding door or partition system can be installed either from the ceiling or on the floor. The system can be chosen with a variety of finishes. These demountable, recyclable panels come in many standard sizes and patterns or can be custom designed and built. Depending on the amount of privacy required, the glass can be frosted or clear and can be specified with 5mm-thick tempered glass for extra safety. They can also be specified with 7mm-thick laminated glass. These doors or partitions are constructed with a sturdy aluminum frame and gliding mechanisms that assure that they do not leave the tracks. If the door is used as a half or full wall and mounted on the floor, this track can either be flush with the floor system or to make removals and re-installations simple, provide a low 3/8-in. ramp that prevents tripping. Moving partitions and doors also have a push pressure of only three lb. Both the threshold and the calibrated push pressure meet Americans with Disabilities Act.

In a drywall installation, installation is slow, requires many trades and can be extremely disruptive and messy. Often an office is closed for an extended schedule period. There are multiple materials and on-site finishing. In addition, when the office requires a wall change, the stick-built drywall system creates waste and additional disposal costs on top of the labor expense. According to most codes, the drywall partition will require the installation of an electrical outlet adding to the expense of the renovation. Drywall partitions are non-reusable and as a fixed asset with their apparent permanence discourage change. They block daylight unless fitted with a window adding additional costs.

In comparison, glass room dividers and sliding partitions promote change. These systems are factory assembled, pre-finished and can be quickly installed in place without creating dust. Construction and the disruption to the staff and office are kept to a minimum. The schedule for change is kept to a minimum. There is no waste associated with construction and installation costs are low. The installer is provided with a complete package that includes walls, doors, hardware and glass. Because these partitions are considered semi-permanent by code, electrical outlets are not required. Because they are categorized as furniture, sliding glass doors can be written-off for additional tax advantages.

Sliding glass doors are 100 percent reusable. They are modular, versatile and can be removed and reused in the same space or in other offices. These systems encourage change as employees can slide or rotate partitions open or close them as needed. Divider strips can separate glass so that the upper portions of the wall may have greater transparency to share daylight throughout the office.

Flexible partitions promote shared daylight, different working styles, easy renovations and re-configurations in offices. Photo courtesy of THE SLIDING DOOR COMPANY®

Daylighting

Daylight sharing is important for several reasons. Studies show that access to daylight and views to the outdoors can promote well-being in employees, reducing absenteeism and increasing productivity. In addition, shared daylight also reduces the amount of electricity used in an office as natural light can substitute for large portions of the open office plan. The architect can design these movable partitions to maximize the amount of daylight throughout the office by manipulating the transparency of the room dividers.

Sliding partitions have other environmental advantages. Besides being portable, demountable, reducing waste and promoting different working styles, these systems are composed of primarily aluminum and glass, materials that are easily recyclable. They do not need to be painted and are factory finished to meet high indoor air standards. They do not require harsh chemicals for cleaning or maintenance.