Different Types of Office Glass Partitioning

Many people see sleek modern office interiors and jump to the conclusion of glass partitioning being beyond their budget. But that is not really the case. There are a wide variety of glass partitioning choices for you to choose from to create a sleek, modern environment. Not sure what type of glass partitioning you need?

Read our blog or get in touch to see what type of partition system is right for you!

ABOUT US

We have been installing glass partitions for over 30yrs and have worked on a variety of projects for office buildings, retail units, and warehouses/industrial premises. Our close-knit team work together every day, combining each of our individual strengths, offering our clients a truly personal experience.

We use quality materials and expert installers alongside our 30+ years’ experience to deliver tailor-made solutions. We provide a variety of glass partitions to create a stunning modern space in your building, making your workplace more exciting, inspiring to work in with added privacy.

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FRAMELESS GLAZED PARTITIONING

Glazed partitions are perfect for any working environment. The frameless glass provides a twist from other partitions giving a sleeker, modern feel and are easy to install ensuring minimum site disruption. In addition to finishing touches, glazed partitioning can be personalised with your branding to make it even more suited to your workspace.

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FRAMED GLAZED PARTITIONING

Aluminium framed partitioning might just be the right choice for your office space. They provide great flexibility, durability and complement many different interiors. The combination of glass and aluminium offers a very aesthetically pleasing approach. This type of glass partitioning provides ease of installing and can include your branding. Framing can be personalised to include any colour you like.

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SOLID

We all love an open plan office but there is sometimes a need for separating your office to create extra privacy or separate rooms that need to be closed off. That is where solid partitions come into play as a perfect solution. Not only are they great for when you’re looking for something unique, but they still offer complete adaptability with bespoke branding.

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ILLUMINATED

Illuminated partitioning is perfect for setting the scene with imagery providing a bright and fun space. Most suitable for creating a welcome entry to your reception or brightening up your office spaces and meeting rooms. Like other partitions, they provide great flexibility and can be easily adapted to suit the theme by adding on extra LED strips to set the mood controlled by a device. Illuminated partitioning can help your staff to feel less isolated and improves their well-being and productivity.

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ACOUSTIC GLASS

We offer noise-reducing acoustic dividers available in double glazed, single glazed, and solid office partition designs and can fit the best option that suits your needs. A solid partition will normally be more soundproof than a glass office partition.

You can have the added option of double-glazed acoustic doors within the glass partitioning which will provide greater office soundproofing and privacy.

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THE BENEFITS

Aside from looking sleek and personable using branding logos, partitioning can provide a bundle of benefits to your building. Not only are they cost effective, but they are also a great investment and have proven to enhance the productivity and efficiency across the office. Partitioning can also allow greater privacy to be able to section off designated spaces for the use of employees and create an airy, open work environment that provides natural light.

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Get in touch with us

t: 01494 521622

m: 07973 145742

e: hello@yellowinteriors.co.uk

Office Address -

Yellow Interiors
Basepoint Business Centre, 25 Lincoln Rd,

Dilapidations – everything you need to know

Dilapidations can be quite a complex area so we thought we would clarify some of the terms and processes involved and when it is best to enlist some expert help: 

What does dilapidations mean?

Dilapidations refer to the alleged breaches of a lease or tenancy in regards to the condition of the property. These can take the form of defects and disrepair which tenants must remedy, or pay to have remedied, when they vacate a property. Office Dilapidations typically involve the restoration of a commercial workplace back to its original condition prior to occupation and changes made by the tenant.

What is a schedule of dilapidation?

A Schedule of Dilapidation is normally undertaken by a surveyor on behalf of the landlord to assess the condition of a commercial property and identify any alleged breaches of a lease or tenancy that have been caused to the property by the tenant failing to comply with their obligations under their lease.

This is usually split into 3 sections: repair, reinstatement, and redecoration. A Quantified Demand which sets out the overall claim will normally form part of the Schedule of Dilapidation .

The liability of the tenant will depend upon the details contained within the lease.  The condition of the building will need to be assessed and where an alleged breach has occurred, the appropriate methods to remedy will need to be identified.

As this can be the document that will be used if there is a dispute, the landlord needs to make sure the Schedule of Dilapidation and Quantified Demand are completed by an experienced professional.

Types of schedule issued

There are two types of Schedule of Dilapidation that are issued, namely:

Interim Schedule of Dilapidations – this is prepared in contemplation of any alleged breaches that occur during the term of the lease and sets out the remedy.

Terminal Schedule of Dilapidations – prepared at or just after the end of the lease. This can be prepared prior to the end of the lease

How does the claim process work?

A landlord would generally serve a formal schedule of dilapidation within 56 days of the end of the lease; however, it is preferable to do this prior to the lease coming to an end.  This enables the tenant to complete the remedial work and means the property could be re-let as soon as the previous tenant has left.

The tenant should respond to the schedule within a further 56 days. 

At any point during the process the tenant could instruct a surveyor to work on their behalf.

The tenant must decide whether to undertake the works, during the lease, or agree a financial settlement with the landlord. It can often be financially advantageous for the tenant to undertake some or all of the works, but once the lease has expired, the tenant loses the right to do so and negotiating a claim for damages becomes the only solution.

How long does the dilapidation process take?

The schedule of dilapidations should be issued within 56 days of the end of the lease.  The tenant then has 56 days to respond.  This is a considerable length of time when you are looking to relet as soon as possible.  Therefore, it is advisable to start the process as soon as you can, so everything can be resolved before the tenant leaves.  Specialist dilapidation professionals are experts in this area and employing their services will smooth and expediate the process, as well as taking all the day-to-day activities out of your hands.

What are the costs for dilapidations - survey & reinstatement

As well as undertaking the works, we can offer the service of costing up the schedule served as part of a commercial settlement and if required work with Chartered Building Surveyors to challenge details and extent of the claim.

Unfortunately there is no one size fits all, so please contact us so we can provide the right level of assistance.

What type of work does a commercial refurbishment company help with when it comes to dilapidations?

As well as supporting you with your survey and claim a specialist refurbishment company can also take care of all the refurbishment works, from a complete strip out to minor repairs and decoration, including:

·         Full strip out to original shell

·         Waste disposal including unwanted office furniture, fixtures, and fittings

·         Partitioning

·         Ceilings and lighting

·         Flooring

·         Decoration

·         Mechanical/IT (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, data/network)

·         Cleaning

With 30 years’ experience, Yellow Interiors is well placed to work with you to ensure that your commercial premises are a safe, welcoming environment for your next tenants. Working closely with our partners, we can assist with everything from surveys, reports, claims to remedial work, leaving you free to get on with your business.

Get in touch for your no-obligation quote

E: HELLO@YELLOWINTERIORS.CO.UK

T: 01494 521622

M: 07973 145742

Returning To The Office Safely

What measures do you need to put into place so your employees return back to the office safely…

With lockdown restrictions lifting and the children already back at school many businesses will be looking at how employees can now return to the office and other workplaces.

Whilst we are getting used to keeping socially distanced from strangers for an hour in the supermarket, a whole day with your colleagues in the office is a completely different proposition. 

Business Owners and Facilities Managers are used to being experts in a range of areas, but COVID-19 introduces aspects that are new to most of us. To help you prepare, this blog lists our top tips for how you can get your office ready to bring your workforce back in the short term and to plan for the long term.

Communication

Keep communicating with your staff.  Even if you can’t give them concrete information, reassure them that you are working on how you can make the workplace secure.  Ensure everyone has a way to contact you to raise any specific concerns they may have and wherever possible take this into consideration when making your plans.  When the plans are in place communicate these clearly to all employees.

Flexible Working Patterns

Initially you may need to be more flexible about who is in the office and the hours they are there - some members of staff may be vulnerable, or who have families and cannot find childcare.  This may mean working remotely or using different shift patterns if these options are possible. This will also enable you to keep the number of staff in the office at any one time to a minimum. Teams grouped (another sort of bubble) by varying skillset or necessary interactions will allow for easy isolation should anyone show any symptoms of the virus. Screening and social distancing between these teams will allow additional safety.

Barriers & Signs 

Being back in the office means we are likely to slip into old habits of popping over to a colleague’s desk or the kitchen for a chat or a cup of tea. Barriers and partitions break up open-plan spaces, and create new working areas whilst protecting staff.  They offer a constant and very visible reminder of the need to socially distance, but offer the additional benefit of keeping light and airiness in the workplace.

Signs and posters placed throughout the building are also helpful for reminding staff and visitors of the rules. Stickers on the floor can denote 2 metre distances as well as identifying one-way systems.  Posters explaining the importance of regular handwashing, communal-area hygiene, meeting room etiquette and general guidance are quick and cost-effective solutions. Smaller protective screens and desktop screens along with larger glass partitions are another low-cost option that is very quick to implement.

Hygiene Focus

Deep cleaning will have to be increased, with regular disinfecting of shared areas.  Hand sanitiser stations should be placed next to entrances and exits along with communal areas. High traffic contact zones, such as door handles, lift buttons, bathrooms, desks, and chairs should be wiped down with an antibacterial cleaner frequently throughout the day.

Rethink the Floor Plan

Staff should now be avoiding hot-desking wherever possible and desks and workspaces should be reconfigured - ideally with individual desks to allow at least 2 metres between employees, or to create back-to-back or side-to-side working.  Glass office partitioning should be installed to allow staff to work closely without the risk of contamination.

Shared spaces such as kitchens and meeting rooms should be redesigned to allow for appropriate social distancing.  Floor markers and signage to help guide and remind staff to maintain safe distances. 

In larger, open plan spaces you can consider one-way systems in walkways.  Additional break-out zones will reduce congregation of people during breaks. Glass or perspex free-standing partitioning systems are an effective and affordable solution. These allow you to create smaller ‘offices’, and as they are free-standing and transportable, they give you the flexibility to alter the layout any time you need to.  New furniture such as vinyl fabric chairs and wipe clean partitions instead of fabric, enable these areas to be wiped down easily.

Other design changes could include partition gangways, new separate entrance/exits and improved barriers at receptions.

Immediate Actions

When adapting your workspaces to adhere to COVID requirements, you should take time to plan your new layout to ensure it will work for your staff and your business.  However, the priority is clearly to get people back to work as quickly and safely as possible.  So we have listed some steps that you can take immediately to keep your workplace safe while you consider how to move forward for the longer term.

• Install hand sanitising dispensing units

• Organise regular deep cleaning and provide cleaning materials

• Use posters and stickers to inform and remind all staff about the new office guidelines

• Add screens to all desks and allow 2 metres between all seating

• Use free-standing glass or perspex screens between workspaces and to create new work areas

• De-clutter personal workspaces

• Remove fabric furniture and screens and replace with something easy to wipe down 

Long Term Planning

As soon as you have solved the immediate need to make it safe enough to get people back in the office, you then need to look at futureproofing by making more permanent changes. Wider corridors, extra entrance/exit points and more permanent partition walls should be considered within any future office refurbishments.

Whilst this workplace review has been forced upon us, it is also an opportunity to refresh and revitalise your workspace, to support the current, and future, needs of your team and your business. 

This may sound like a lot of suppliers to engage and regulations you need to get your head round, but there are experts out there that can help you.  Yellow Interiors are a ‘one stop shop’ for everything from partitions to social distancing stickers.  Whether you are adding partitions or completely redesigning your office space there is help available to ensure this is done as cost effectively as possible whilst making employee safety a top priority. 

Contact us to see how we can help you make your workplace COVID safe.

T: 01494 521622

M: 07973 145742

hello@yellowinteriors.co.uk