The larger a company gets, the higher of a priority space planning ought to be for it. Not just office space planning, which a large company should already have figured out, but planning specifically designed to utilize an office’s physical space in an optimal fashion. Within the confines of an office space, it is easy to underestimate how many possible arrangements are available for the space, and how widely they may vary in effectiveness based on a company’s demands!
Planning an office space is a difficult job, but there is plenty of good advice to be found. Here are some things to bear in mind when doing space planning for an office:
-Building codes and regulations. Specific cities, states, and buildings place constraints on how offices can be designed. It is good to be aware of these restrictions beforehand, as many are non-negotiable. Be sure that you are planning with respect to your space’s constraints for energy usage, other utilities, specific design requirements, or any other specific restrictions!
-Proximity of employees. You will want to bear in mind the specific demands of your company and its employees. Do your employees typically work in teams or in isolation? If they are placed close together, are they more likely to effectively communicate or to distract one another? Ideally, you will arrange employees’ work spaces such that those who often work together are place in close proximity to one another.
-Room for offices of new hires as company expands. This is the trick—it is ideal to leave plenty of space vacant when planning an office, especially if expansion is in your plans. (And it should be!) Consider the maximum possible amount of new hires you can envision hiring in the next three to five years, and then determine whether or not work space for these hires could be comfortably added to your office space. If so, great—if not, you may have some thinking to do.
-Employment law. State and federal laws require certain accommodations to be made for disabled employees. Any office ought to be designed with these needs in mind—if you do not comply with them, you risk facing legal repercussions. Be sure that you are thinking of accessibility for employees from the outset when planning office space!
Whether you are concerned with the proper utilization of office space or any other design issue, Office Space Planners is ready to help. Find out more about what Office Space Planners can do for you today!
