The new and modern office of Utilitas Wind OÜ, an energy production company operating in Estonia, was completed in 2022. In furnishing it, the company wanted to use as much furniture sourced from local manufacturers as possible. Consultant Piia Kallas, who was hired to help, explains the principles according to which the working environment was created and the specifics of why Intuit’s phone booth and soft furnishings were chosen.

The process of designing the office, located in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, began in the autumn of 2022. The design team had 100 square metres to work with. The aim was to create workstations for ten people and a comfortable social area where colleagues could gather, socialise in a more informal way, and hold team meetings.

Intuit Booths were placed in the centre of the room where they also act as room dividers.  Photo: Märt Lillesiim

How to reduce noise?

The space constraints required that an open office model be chosen, which immediately raised the question of how to give ten people working in the same room the opportunity to calmly concentrate. The biggest problem in modern offices is excessive noise, which can reduce worker productivity.

In a recent workplace survey, 65% of respondents admitted that constant phone calls and conversations between colleagues create background noise that distracts from concentration. At the Utilitas Wind office, it was decided to solve this problem with phone booths.

Before making a decision, Utilitas Wind wanted to test the phone booths offered by different manufacturers. In addition to the two domestic brands, one model from a recognised international manufacturer was also considered.

The test was carried out by the employees, who chose Intuit Booth. In total, two were purchased. The deciding factor was the distinctive trapezoidal shape that provides more space than usual and offers a more comfortable user experience.

Intuit Booths with soft outer panels. Photo Märt Lillesiim

A key selling point was the booth’s distinctive soft exterior panels, the colour scheme of which could be customised to match the company’s corporate colours. The fabric-covered panels made it easier to blend the massive pieces of furniture into the space.

As mentioned above, the design of the Intuit Booth is inspired by the trapezoid – which is why it’s so comfortable to sit in. The seat in the booth swivels in all directions, allowing the user to move freely without bumping into the walls. Thanks to its trapezoidal shape, the booth also eliminates annoying echoes. Its soft exterior walls help to muffle the overall noise in the office, thereby improving the room’s acoustics.

Natural light

Having won the test, Booth phone booths were arranged side by side, precisely in the centre of the room, to act as room dividers. The result was a work area on one side and a social interaction area on the other. Thanks to the large glass wall openings on two sides, the booths allowed enough daylight to pass through.

‘As there were large windows on two walls of the room, we based the placement of the workstations on the possibility of working in natural daylight. We placed the desks in pairs under the windows,’ notes Kallas. Two reserve workstations were placed along one wall of the room, while a social interaction area was created along another wall.

Located adjacent to the office is a kitchen-dining area with a small coffee corner. The foyer-waiting area-additional meeting area is shared with the company next door and can be used by both company staff and waiting visitors. The large meeting room seats 12 people.

The Sans collection includes comfortable sofas and armchairs. Photo: Märt Lillesiim

As the company wanted to use as many Estonian products as possible, Intuit furniture was also chosen to furnish the social communication area. Comfortable sofas and armchairs from the Sans collection were installed in the space.

The sofas have a beautiful deep marine tone, which harmonises well with the maritime location of the wind farms of Utilitas Wind. To allow for undisturbed concentration, the social interaction area – with its sofas, armchairs and coffee tables – is separated from the workspace by plants and Intuit Booth phone booths.

Sofas create a good division of space, but also bring the cosy feeling of home to the office. The sofa is also a good place to relax, as it’s also important to take a breather during the busy working day. This creates all the necessary conditions for employees to get back up to speed after a break.