Space Planning | Efficient Work Areas and Support Spaces

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What Is Office Space Planning?

Space planning is a fundamental building block for the interior design of an office space. The space planner conducts an assessment of the best use of your office space and provides you with a number of suitable alternatives to choose from.

Once you know how much space you need and have found an office that suits your needs, then the space planning process can begin. It lays out the different areas within the office space that is the best use of the space, given the type of business and number of staff within the space.

The space planner develops a space plan for the chosen space and shows you what you would look like in your new offices. It illustrates the different work areas and support spaces. There is also the flexibility to be able to move the office space around in conjunction with the space planner.

The Office Space Plan Also Considers:

how people move throughout the space
match furniture and layout to business requirements
ensure the right people are placed in the right spot
How to make the best use of your space – bang for buck stuff

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What Makes Space Planning Valuable?

Space planning allows a company to ensure that their staff will fit into their new office space in a way that will make them efficient and effective. It also ensures that the working conditions that your staff will work in are optimal for peak performance and at the same time create a feeling of well being and belonging.

With staff costs and rental generally being two of the major costs within a company, space planning forms an integral part of ensuring that the office space is used optimally and that staff are inspired by the surroundings to be more productive and efficient.

How Are Space Plans Created?

Space plans are generally created using either Revit (modelling software for architects) or CAD (Computer Aided Design for 2D and 3D designs)

If required, the space planner can also create a 3-D design of the new office. This takes a bit more time (and may be billed separately) but can give the client a real life view of the future areas and how they integrate with one another. 3 D Design are generally used on larger projects where the risk is higher, given the large amounts of resources spent on the project.

What Does A Typical Space Plan Look Like?

Below is a typical CAD drawing for an office space. It shows the layout of the space, including boardroom, kitchen, open plan space and entrances. The furniture is also placed within the space to give a feeling of what it will look like when implemented.

The Process

Define The Requirements

The starting point is always a meeting or call with the client to define their exact requirements and get a clear understanding of what they want their space to look and feel like (and of course what the budget and timelines are).

Measure The Space

We would normally ask a client to provide us with a CAD drawing of the space. Alternatively, we would measure the space by hand and develop a CAD drawing from scratch.

Develop An Initial Drawing

The first iteration of the CAD drawing will map out the chosen office space, with the furniture and dry walling / glass walling divisions.

Interior Office Design Story Board

At the same time as developing the initial drawing, the space planner will provide photos of the type of wallpaper, furniture, floor samples, paint colour, mouldings and brand logos. This is meant to give the client a visual idea of what the space will look and feel like once complete.

Space Planning Quote

After going back and forth a few times, a space plan will be finalized with the client. At this point there will be a detailed costing that takes place with a Quantity Surveyor and a final quote will be put together for the client. Price would naturally also be discussed upfront and the space planner would always give an indication of price, so that the client has an idea from the get go. Surprises at this stage of the game will simply delay the process and frustrate the process.

Project Commencement

Once the client has refined their requirements after receiving the final quote, the space planner will issue an invoice for 50% of the project value in order to initiate the project. Weekly update meetings are held on site with the client and all contractors, in order to ensure that the project is kept on track.

Project Completion

After the project has been completed, there is a snagging process that is initiated. All minor issues are resolved and the client signs off the brief.

Tip 1

Get more than one space planning company to give you an idea of how they would set things up for you. Different companies have different ideas…and of course different pricing

Tip 2

Ensure that all your original certificates of compliance (COC) are issued to you at the end of the project e.g. Electrical and plumbing COCs and Occupation Certificate