Evan Wyatt Bliss

Owner & Design Director at STUDIO BLISS LLC

“S3DA Design is one of the best structural and MEP design companies we’ve worked with. Their entire team always delivers us projects of exceptional quality while staying on schedule and under budget. They offer full package design services as well and virtually handle any design projects. We have chosen to work with S3DA Design on our projects”

Chris Cox

Chief Consultant, Development & Planning at BeGreenLegal Cannabis Consulting

“S3DA contacted me through LinkedIn and while I am usually skeptical of cold messages, I was in need of an MEP engineer so I thought I would give them a shot. After more than a year of working on several projects with their team, I have found them to be responsive, reasonable with timelines and budgets, and willing to stand behind their work. While there are many good engineers out there, S3DA’s customer service stands out as a valuable resource.”

Joe Serrano

Brenda Hurley

Licensed Realtor at Excel Realty

S3DA is a very conscientious engineering firm with the mindset of coming up with the best solutions for its clients that are effective and cost-efficient. I would recommend S3DA to support your structural designs on your project.

Belal Siddiqui

Owner of Mobius Designs 

S3DA Design team are a good hard working group of professionals. They provide great communication, drawings and feedback during all aspects of the design and permitting process. I have worked with them on multiple commercial and residential projects and they always deliver in a timely manner and are priced very well. I recommend using them on any project. Their drawings are methodical and easy to understand, which makes the job easier for everyone!

Steve Poehlein

Sam Adjangba

Energy Consultant at Advisors Energy Group, LLC

S3DA Design has very detail-oriented professionals with unmatched expertise.

Connie Baublis

Focused on Commercial New Construction in SWFL

S3DA is a true professional, with tremendous experience in design and structural engineering of reinforced concrete and steel structures! S3DA can provide these services in a number of states! I recommend you reach out to them and learn about their services!

Kimberly Eichmann

Magnificent Magical Mortgage Originator

Great design-friendly and professional for your home needs.

Matt Baranowski

Facility Manager at San Diego French American School

I most certainly would work with S3DA-Design again. My experience was great with them, I thought it was a total team approach, I thought all the individuals were great in getting the information out, the request for information to be able to build the building, the budget, the whole process just was very well orchestrated by S3DA-Design. I honestly don’t know how you could have done it any better, I appreciate all of your time, help, and willingness to drop everything and come to the site, talk to me and make sure that my concerns were met, and deal with, and I thought it was a pleasure dealing with everyone in your team.

Shirley Baker

Licensed Realtor at Better Homes

I highly recommend S3DA for Engineering Projects, It will exceed your expectations.

Aaron Moore

S3DA-Design has helped make drawings for several building permits. The drawings have been top-notch, changes were turned around quickly.

Di Mansfield

Realtor at Keller Williams Northeast Realty

S3DA Design offers unique state-of-the-art 3D design for all of your design needs!

Peter Knowles

I am very pleased to write this letter of recommendation for S3DA-Design’s structural engineers. During the period of H1, 17, I have been able to closely interact with them on a complicated building package consisting of both structural & construction drawings for an important new build development. I have observed their capability to quickly grasp the concepts I have in mind and efficiently implement the same to solve the engineering needs of the project. their rational thinking and ability to address all points of clarity is impressive and so I have no hesitation in providing this recommendation for them.

Irina Tolmacheva

Great team of professionals to work with! They are very knowledgeable and highly qualified in their field. The use of the latest technology sets them apart from others. I highly recommend dealing with this company!

David Waller

We can’t thank S3DA-Design and its structural engineer, Kale, highly enough for coming to our rescue when we were in desperate need of floor plans, fire safety, electrical and air conditioning plans for our new work-space. Unfortunately, our Architect had only partly completed our plans due to illness and we were thankful to have found them who provided us with what we needed with minimal turnaround. We had all our plans within 5 days!!
Thank you so much again, we are extremely grateful and would highly recommend.

Emily Laetz

Principle at Locale Real Estate

S3DA Design did a great job for my team and me on structural engineering analysis. They were very responsive and easy to work with. The work product he provided was excellent and thorough, and the project plans we submitted passed a tough Building Department review. I would highly recommend S3DA Design.

New Testimonial

Principle at Locale Real Estate

S3DA Design did a great job for my team and me on structural engineering analysis. They were very responsive and easy to work with. The work product he provided was excellent and thorough, and the project plans we submitted passed a tough Building Department review. I would highly recommend S3DA Design.

Designing the Hybrid Office: New Commercial Needs

In 2020, commercial spaces became vacant as individuals worked from home in greater numbers. Today, over half of the country has received vaccinations, helping individuals return to their offices. Though many employees felt relief returning to in-person workspaces, others struggled to part with their productive work-from-home (WFH) routines. Plus, many companies recognized the benefits of working from home during the pandemic, furthering the demand for hybrid offices.

Hybrid office design needs to support both in-person and from-home work methods. Read on to learn how building professionals and business owners can successfully start designing the hybrid office to create a flexible, productive environment for any employee.

The Demand for Hybrid Offices

Today, the hybrid office has a different purpose than its traditional version. Originally, companies used the hybrid office to support traveling employees and those with transportation-limiting conditions. WFH can help many employees maintain job security while supporting their challenges and increasing flexibility.

In 2020, more companies began using the hybrid office model to protect individuals’ health, specifically from COVID-19. Nearly44 million individuals contracted the virus in America, causing unpleasant and sometimes life-threatening symptoms. The government established social distancing regulations to reduce the virus’s spread, forcing employees to work from home. As experts hope case numbers will decrease and vaccinations become normalized, business owners search for ways to increase their offices’ safety.

Finally, in large part due to the shift to remote work over the past eighteen months, hybrid offices are becoming more of a norm for work/life quality. Employees who may not have experienced remote work before it became a necessity realized that they could often match the quality of work they completed without a commute or shared office space. For many households, work from home provides flexibility that helps employees find a better balance between work, home responsibilities and hobbies or interests. Many employers simply will never go back to a fully in-office operation.

Therefore, building professionals must prioritize working on redesigning their spaces to support the hybrid work method. Owners plan on using their workspaces as a secondary location to home offices. Individuals hope to use their office space for meetings, routine tasks, and other necessary face-to-face interactions. Professionals can work with architects to create the most efficient workplace, supporting employees’ productivity, safety, and well-being.

Versatile and Portable Furniture

Designers can make the most of office spaces by increasing their versatility. Many employees struggle to return to in-person work environments. Overhalf of workers in New York City and San Francisco chose to remain at home instead of returning to the office.

Architects may enhance an employee’s willingness to return by creating a flexible environment. Swapping out heavy and permanently placed desks for mobile variants can help individuals design their own space and figure out what works for them. Adding portable furniture can also help workers choose their mode of working and cooperation.

If individuals feel more comfortable isolated from their co-workers, they can move their workstation into a more removed part of the office, sending information through email. Some employees prefer more social work settings and may shift their desks closer to their colleagues, transferring information by word-of-mouth.

Adding movable furniture also helps companies stay on top of regulation changes. If another variant outbreak occurs, professionals can separate workstations to support mandated distancing. Opening the room may additionally improve an office’s versatility, helping diversify its uses.

Creating Open Space

As employers begin viewing their community offices as secondary work locations, they explore the diversity of its potential functions. They can use the space to support social connections between co-workers, creating a sense of community. Some companies are using their offices to host yoga classes, team-building activities, and other social gatherings.

Architects can expand the openness of offices to increase their versatility. They may remove particular walls to create one large room, able to host various events. Employees can develop a sense of confinement in open workspaces by using moveable barriers and surrounding wall space.

As workers return to the office during uncertain times, they can maximize their safety in an open area. The design minimizes the transmission of COVID-19 by increasing employee access to social distancing. Employers can also upgrade their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to enhance indoor safety.

Adequate air filtration and distancing can support employee health as the virus remains active. Some workers with high-risk health conditions may still choose to stay home, and designers can add advanced technology in the office to increase hybrid capabilities.

Supporting Technological Tools and Future Advancements

Professionals can add supportive technological tools around a workspace to connect in-office employees with WFH professionals. Many designers are increasing the number of cameras around the office, for example, enhancing workplace inclusion and access to essential information.

They can also add communal technology like built-in retractable projectors. The technology may help individualspresent in the office and virtually. Designers can additionally remove structural limitations that may reduce a room’s future compatibility with technological advancements.

Designing the Hybrid Office for Flexible Work

Before designing a hybrid office, it is essential to hear employees’ needs and concerns. Research and aesthetics can fuel architectural decisions, and they can cause productivity challenges. If workers feel most productive away from other employees and conduct mainly solo projects, an open office design may degrade their quality of work.

Similarly, if employees value social time and community, and architects design confined office cubicles, workers’ mental health may decline. Employers can prevent adverse design effects by conducting inclusive meetings before hiring a professional. Architects can use the feedback to create the safest and most compatible hybrid office for their clients.

Utimately, the workforce is changing, and business owners and construction professionals alike need to rise to the occasion. The hybrid office has many needs to fulfill, but as a hub for in-person connection and flexibility, modern design techniques can help achieve a balanced, productive workplace.