Buying Guide: Office Desks for Engineers and Architects

Manually drafting technical drawings and architectural drawings continues to exist on many engineers’ and architects’ to-do lists. But as the world today gears toward cyberspace, most construction professionals create their plans using computers and CAD programs.

To suit the needs of modern-day drafting professionals, furniture makers have incorporated innovative features into office furniture design.

In this short article, we’ll focus on one of the key components in modern architectural and engineering offices: an office desk. If you’d like to learn the features of the best desks today, you can read our reviews of the top 10 best office desks for engineers and architects. Or read on and check out our tips on choosing an architectural and engineering desk.

Work Surface

Whether you’re working on technical drawings by hand or designing them on your laptop, a desk with a sizeable work surface can do wonders for your productivity. The amount of space on a table’s surface should play a huge role when choosing the right office desk.

The dimensions of your desk surface should fit the largest architectural drawing size (36 by 48 inches) as well as your commonly used drafting tools and laptop or computer. A table that’s at least 60 inches long and 30 inches wide might be something that you need for the job. But if you’re mainly working on your computer or architect’s drawing tablet, a standard 50- by 25-inch desk surface will more than suffice.

Storage

Don’t have enough room on your table for tools, drawings, and supplies? Then you have to make the switch to an office desk with tons of storage.

Having an office desk with storage will not only help you organize your tools and supplies—but also help improve efficiency. Rather than going through the mess just to find a specific tool, having an organized workstation can make it easier for you to locate each tool. Sorting your things in drawers, for instance, will give you a quicker time accessing the tools and supplies you need.

Office desks for engineers and architects typically offer different storage options: shelves, drawers, file cabinets, drawing holders, and hooks for drawing tubes. You might also want to get an office desk with cable organizers so that you can keep your work surface free of clutter.

Ergonomics

Another important feature that your office desk should definitely have is ergonomics. An ergonomically designed office desk should provide you with enough legroom, and it should be high enough so that you can work with your elbows bent at 90 degrees.

Apart from that, your office desk should not wobble or bounce, especially if you’re in the midst of a passion-fueled project. Ergonomic desks usually have adjustable leg pads, which you can lower or raise to stabilize the desk, even on uneven floors. You can also choose to get an electric standing desk, whose height can be easily adjusted to suit a standing and seated height.

For a completely comfortable workstation, you might want to use an ergonomic drafting chair or office chair for architects and engineers. That way, you can make the most of the ergonomic features of your office desk.

Durability

As with all other purchasing decisions, you’d probably want to find an office desk that will last a lifetime of use. Architectural and engineering desks are commonly made of wooden surfaces and steel frames—two of the most durable yet aesthetically pleasing materials used for furniture.

Choose the right office desk to improve productivity and take a look at our list of the best engineers’ and architects’ desks.