Office Space Layout Planning Tips

Effective office space layout planning takes a lot of time and creative thinking.  Many companies have a hard time figuring out how to layout their office space.  In todays world they must consider a number of things including their type of business, company culture, job functions, communication between departments, office visitors, etc.  There is a lot more to think about than just leasing office space and stuffing a bunch of furniture and people in there and expecting them to be motivated, productive and happy.  To help you with this below we have outlined a few things to think about when planning your next office layout.

• Consider hiring a good space planner or architect.  They can typically plug in the CAD file of the space that interests you into their software and start configuring the most efficient space possible for your business.  For example they can delete existing structures, note the locations of existing items such as electrical, phone, and ethernet outlets, add walls, window, furniture, desks, tables, etc to see how these things fit into the space.   If there is not a CAD file they can take their own measurements and create a scaled drawing of the space.  Their services typically range from 7-12 cents a sf.  This is definitely worth it as doing so will save you a tremendous amount of time and money.
• How many employees do you have now and how many do you plan on hiring later.  A preliminary office space calculation can help you decide current and future needs
• Think about how many departments (e.g. sales, marketing, support, etc.) you have and how they all work together.  Choose the best locations based on employee job functions and communication between teams & departments.  Are you planning on dividing the teams based on product or service or by job functions or departments?
• Make sure you have plenty of open common area space for people to walk through.  You don’t want to have a bunch of desks on top of each other with no room for employees to walk around.
• Try to maximize the space you have however keep a little extra left over for future needs
• Take inventory of all the equipment you currently use and plan on using.  For example computers, telephones, file cabinets, chairs, desks and tables, cubicles, etc…

We have only touched on a few office space layout planning tips.  As mentioned above the most efficient and fastest way to figure out your space needs is to hire an architect or space planner.  Doing this can potentially save you thousands later on.