Walls, walls, walls. An office can become too built up if the renovators are not careful, with the available floor space sectioned off and carved up leaving little room for the inhabitants to manoeuvre and even fresh air to circulate. The effect can be debilitating, offering none of the benefits that using demountable partitioning systems should offer. The solution is to use office screens rather than walls. It may seem to be a poor solution but, in fact, it is highly effective. While a glass partition can allow a greater degree of sunlight to replenish the work space, countering the sense of containment that a regular solid office wall can create, the fact that a screen is easily walked around means it cannot be considered imposing. So, it is very different to a full wall made from a complete partitioning system. A partitioning system is simply a series of partitions running the length of a corridor, creating a number of personal offices and meeting rooms along what would otherwise be an open floor. The number of panels used is completely down to the space that is being covered, with doors for entering and existing the new rooms also featuring in the system. The doors can attach to the system in a number of ways, and a variety of types of doors can be used. In the case of solid partitions, the wooden or aluminium framework onto which the panels are attached is more than capable of facilitating either single or double doors, such as those used for boardrooms. The doors can even be solid in structure or a composite with veneer panel exterior. However, there is a difference when it comes to frameless glass systems. With these systems, although it is no less rigid and sturdy, the absence of a door frame means doors are unable to be attached by hinges onto the wall itself. Instead, plates are installed on the ceiling and floor, into which pivots on the top and bottom of the door sit. These allow the door to swing in and out, while a handle and lock that is specifically designed for use on glass ensure that security remains intact. Screens differ from partition walls only in so far as they are not fixed to walls at either end. In fact, it is quite easy to walk around them, making them useful as a simple marker between two specific purpose areas in the office itself. For example, they are often used to separate an eating or kitchen area from the main working space of the office floor. A clear view of a display unit, if a small coffee shop is present on the floor, or the kitchen vending machines and microwave, is blocked, reducing the amount of distraction caused to the working personnel. Alternatively, screens are popular in lobby and reception areas, providing a limited sense of seclusion in a larger area. Armchairs and tables can be placed before them, with the screen perhaps sheltering those sitting from the flow of people entering and exiting the building. Of course, the screen also provides a golden opportunity for branding, with the corporation name or logo attached to the screen for all passers by to see. Since screens are not, strictly speaking, walls, there is not the same expectation that they reach from floor to ceiling. These can be seen especially in lobbies of hotels or corporation buildings, where the ceiling is significantly higher than the normal room height. However, for offices a screen is, in essence, a short wall, stretching the full height of the room and playing both practical and aesthetic roles. As such, screens can be made from solid panels or from glass, and are generally comprised of two panels, though sometimes they can be more. The great advantage of office screens is that they can discreetly hide a communal area, such as a lounge or small canteen, without excluding the area completely from the office floor. In terms of office psychology, it means that the employee is never really away from work, but feels free to take a break when necessary. It provides a different sense to that given by an office wall, even if that system has a glass partition wall. In this way, openness is retained and segregation is accomplished.
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