COVID-19 has highlighted what most of us already knew — fresh air and Vitamin D are good for the body and good for the soul. But the call for social distancing has more businesses embracing their outdoor spaces as work areas.
According to numerous studies, fresh air, natural light and plants can improve productivity, creativity and innovation. Casco Contractors and our Design Studio have always been a proponent of integrating these features into office environments, but they’re now more important than ever.
Due to COVID-19, many work activities are transitioning out-of-doors for better health and connectivity—from group meetings and brainstorming sessions to team building exercises and project development. Southern California’s temperate climate allows social gathering, and distancing, outdoors nearly 365 days a year. Encouraging employees to congregate outside is becoming the new normal with long-term benefits.
“We go into every job with a goal of creating spaces that promote productivity and wellbeing,” says Casco CEO Cheryl Osborn. “Companies are using outdoor space like they have traditionally used indoor space, but that requires some rethinking and new additions or reconfigurations. We have a dynamic, integrated team specifically focused on exterior design and construction.”
Casco’s Exterior Design + Build Team brings together natural environments and manufactured spaces with biophilic design—a trending term yet ancient theory centered on an appreciation for nature. Company rooftops, parking lots and courtyards are transformed into multi-use areas that combine form and function.
Inspired by outdoor living rooms and resimercial design, Casco configures outdoor space as an extended workplace. Using weatherproof and durable materials, our team is able create welcoming outdoor spaces with comfortable seating areas, WIFI access, power supplies, and even AV technology.
Outdoor areas are now being used for presentations, happy hours, individual work stations, lounge hangouts, recreation and more—all while improving health, morale and job satisfaction. Want to see a plan in action? SurveyMonkey recently installed a rooftop “backyard” with trees as partitions for meeting rooms, an outdoor kitchen and bar, barbecue grills, fire pits and areas for games and fitness.
Casco regularly turns these concepts into reality. Our team can expertly redesign your surplus outdoor space into your most valuable and popular office real estate.
Sound good? Connect with our team to get started
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