Designing for Focus: The quiet space comeback
In recent years, flexibility has mostly meant where people work – home versus office, city versus fringe. Now the spotlight is turning to what people need inside the office. Acoustic control, quiet zones, and spaces to concentrate are becoming part of the core conversation.
Rethinking how space works
Few teams spend the whole day in brainstorm mode. For most, it’s a mix of collaboration, admin, planning, and deep individual tasks - often in the same hour. Offices that recognise that rhythm tend to see better engagement and more consistent use.
That’s where quiet areas add value. Whether it’s a dedicated room, a single-person pod, or a smartly placed retreat away from the main flow, these low-footprint additions give people the ability to change gears without leaving the building.
The benefits go beyond noise control – it’s cognitive. Global studies have shown that interruptions and background noise can have a measurable impact on memory, accuracy, and stress levels. In contrast, access to enclosed spaces, even briefly, supports clearer thinking and stronger focus.
66%
Background noise in open-plan offices can reduce productivity by up to 66%.
- 2015 World Green Building Council report
Less floor plan, more intention
Quiet doesn’t mean isolated. These aren’t the sealed-off offices of old, they’re integrated parts of a well-balanced layout. A phone booth for video calls. A library-style table for heads-down work. A snug meeting pod that doesn’t take up an entire boardroom.
Designers and workspace providers are seeing growing demand for these types of zones. IWG, a global flexible workspace leader, has reported sustained growth in private-use pod bookings across both co-working and corporate environments. Their appeal lies in their simplicity: available when needed, invisible when not.
A practical shift in expectation
In Auckland, this trend is beginning to show up in fitouts and leasing briefs - especially among professional services and tech-adjacent tenants. It’s not a rejection of open-plan, but a push for balance. Somewhere to meet, and somewhere to think.
For landlords, the investment is relatively minor. But as tenant expectations evolve, the presence (or absence) of a quiet space can help shape the overall perception of a building. Just as end-of-trip facilities have become a baseline requirement, focus rooms may well be next.
70%
Around 70% of employees say speech and office chatter regularly disrupts their focus.
- 2024 Gensler Workplace Survey
A quieter way forward
As hybrid schedules continue to shift the role of the office, demand is growing for workspaces that align. Teams want places where ideas can form, tasks can get done, and distractions are kept in check.
Quiet doesn’t need to be the headline, but it should be part of the story. And the buildings that build it in are already setting themselves apart