Space planning for your office can be a difficult task. It’s not only about who sits where, but there are legal requirements, accommodation standards, IT, staff welfare and telecoms to consider. So whether you need to space plan an office that’s 6m2 or 600,000m2 Space Management approaches each project in the same way.
Space planning considerations - There’s a lot to consider when creating an office layout. Get it right and you have a space that functions well and is fit for the future. Here are just a few things to think about when creating a space plan:
Accommodation (space planning) standards – these include average meter square per FTE, corridor widths, appropriate sizes for tea points, copy areas, meeting rooms, receptions, etc. Space Management have developed the Universities own accommodation standards. We apply these standards to every project we work on.
Legal requirements – there is lots of legislation to consider when space planning your office, including: The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, Building Regulations, and the Disability Discrimination Act (now replaced by the Equality Act of 2010) plus others. With Space Management , you don’t have to worry about any of them as we are experts in making sure your space plan is legally up-to-scratch.
Departments requirements – of course your space plan should be guided by your departments needs. For example, an HR department will want more private space for confidential conversations, whereas a school will want to foster more interaction and creativity.
IT and Telecoms – For your space plan to work, it must take into consideration access to IT, telecoms and small power. For example, does your office have raised flooring to make running cables to individual workstations easy? If so, you’ll have a lot more flexibility with your office layout. If not, you must space plan your workstations with access to a wall or ceiling with power and data. A skilled space planner can really help with those awkward spaces.
Flexibility and Growth – a well considered space plan will incorporate future growth to accommodate the changing needs of your department. For example, creating flexible spaces that can be used for either breakout space or workstations. This will save you time and money down the road when your department needs change.
Space planning and office layout services from Space Management
We offer a full space planning service, including:
•Feasibility Studies to help you decide how much office space you really need, for now and in the future. And don’t forget things like storage space, departmental adjacencies and new ways of working.
•Office furniture - Good space planning is a harmonious design between the physical space and your furniture.
•Building services to make sure your air-conditioning, heating, ventilation, lighting and telecoms requirements all work in conjunction with your space plan.
Back to Space Management home page
