Office Space Planning Guide
Guide to Office Space Planning
The starting point for planning office space is to determine your office space requirements. Not only will you need to calculate the amount of office space needed for your current staff and working practices, but you will also need to think about how your company will grow over the coming years.
There are a number of key office space planning issues you will need to consider, and these include:
Office Space Planning
Planning an efficient office space is all about arranging your workplace to provide the best opportunity for efficient workflow, and maximum productivity. Consider how each department needs to be organized in order to achieve the most effective means of working and communicating - both internally & externally with co-workers and customers.
Open Plan or Cellular?
Choosing to have an open plan office can help provide you with extra space and will cut back on office space taken up by partitions and cellular offices. On the other hand there may certain individuals/departments that need the privacy of their own areas and offices. For most companies a combination of the two is the best solution.
Department Adjacencies
Think about how your various departments interact, particularly if they are working closely together on a regular basis. Which departments have more interaction with clients and need to be located nearer the reception area and which departments require the "quiet zone" to best carry out their role.
Meeting Rooms and Break-out Zones
Decide how much space you need to dedicate to your meetings rooms. Remember that break-out zones with seating and desks can be used for more informal meetings that do not require the privacy of a closed-off meeting room.
Office Equipment
Work with an IT & Telecoms Company to determine the best location for workstations, phone points, printers, fax machines and photocopiers. This needs to be planned well in advance of the office move as additional cabling infrastructure may be required in the new office to meet telecom and PC network requirements.
Office Furniture
Where possible, try to use office furniture that is easily configurable, such as workstations grouped together which can be built into different configurations according to each department's working practices. Hot desking can also be a great office space saving solution if you have field sales staff who may only need to use the desk one or twice a week.
Think Flexibilty
Circumstances and staffing levels are bound to change over the course of your office lease, so it is important that you incorporate sufficient flexibility in your office design and space planning to adapt to any changes in working practices (and/or to accommodate any future growth, consolidation or contraction). A good tip is to utlize office furniture that is easily configurable; this can help provide value over the duration of your occupation (and can be used in any future office space plans you may have).
Get help from the Professionals
Drafting in the help of an experienced Office Design Company is a must to achieving a producive, efficient and flexible office environment. They have specialist experience in maximising your work space and creating an office design which is practical and eyecatching and enhances your company brand and culture.
With a little thought and planning, you can make your new offices work for you in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Need more help with office space planning or office design?
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