Planning + Programming / Study 03
What does our next office actually need?
Translate people and work requirements into a quantified program and clear direction for a layout study.
Illustrative study · fictional scenario and sample data. This demonstrates a consulting approach. It is not a completed client engagement or an actual ITO result.
The brief
Define the office before drawing it.
A fictional organization is considering its next office. Leadership needs to understand how many people to accommodate, which activities need dedicated space, and what usable-area allowance to explore before selecting a property.
The work starts with a planning brief that keeps headcount, primary workpoints, meeting seats, and area assumptions distinct.
The starting scenario
180 people × 65% design-day attendance = 117 attendees. Twelve attending people occupy private offices; the remaining 105 use shared open workpoints. Office occupants are included in the 117, not added afterward.
A deliberate constraint
The scenario has no primary-seat buffer. At 70% attendance, 126 attendees would create a nine-workpoint shortfall.
Executive readout
A quantified brief provides a starting point for the search and test fit.
The model contains 10,500 square feet of programmed spaces plus 2,625 square feet of internal circulation. The resulting 13,125-square-foot allowance needs reconciliation with a candidate property, the measurement method, and building-specific requirements.
The area model
Make every space allowance visible.
All room sizes and quantities are selected assumptions for this example. Unit areas include furniture and local working clearances. Internal circulation is added separately at 25% of the programmed subtotal, equivalent to 20% of the resulting total.
| Space | Quantity | Unit area (sf) | Subtotal (sf) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared open workpoints | 105 | 45 | 4,725 |
| Private offices | 12 | 120 | 1,440 |
| Single-person phone booths | 6 | 25 | 150 |
| Single-person focus rooms | 4 | 60 | 240 |
| Four-person meeting rooms | 2 | 100 | 200 |
| Six-person meeting rooms | 4 | 150 | 600 |
| Ten-person meeting rooms | 2 | 240 | 480 |
| Sixteen-person meeting room | 1 | 380 | 380 |
| Eight-person project rooms | 2 | 220 | 440 |
| Kitchen / café | 1 | 650 | 650 |
| Informal lounge | 1 | 450 | 450 |
| Reception / waiting | 1 | 225 | 225 |
| Print / local supply points | 2 | 70 | 140 |
| IT / equipment room | 1 | 80 | 80 |
| General storage | 1 | 100 | 100 |
| Coat / personal storage | 1 | 100 | 100 |
| Wellness room | 1 | 100 | 100 |
| Programmed subtotal | 10,500 | ||
| Internal circulation | 25% of subtotal | 2,625 | |
| Total modeled allowance | 13,125 |
Support settings do not add primary capacity.
The program contains 68 enclosed meeting seats and 16 project-room seats. People use these settings during the day, but those seats are not added to the 117 primary workpoints. Phone booths, focus rooms, and lounge seats are also excluded from primary capacity.
Building-core areas, partitions, columns, services, accessibility, and actual furniture would need resolution against a candidate property. No rentable-area conversion or construction cost is assumed.
From program to relationships
Give the test fit a clear direction.
Delivery
35Open workpointsProduct + design
30Open workpointsClient partnerships
25Open workpointsCorporate services
15Open workpoints| Relationship | Planning direction |
|---|---|
| Delivery ↔ Product + design | Place their neighborhoods around shared project rooms to support work in progress. |
| Client partnerships ↔ Reception | Provide direct access to the visitor meeting suite. |
| Corporate services ↔ Leadership offices | Support frequent coordination and enclosed discussions. |
| All neighborhoods ↔ Focus rooms | Distribute quiet settings rather than placing them beside only one team. |
| Social hub ↔ Main circulation | Make amenities easy to reach, with support spaces buffering noisy gathering areas from focus rooms. |
The recommendation
Validate attendance before fixing the requirement.
Illustrative recommendation
Use the program as a testable brief, then compare alternatives.
Carry the 13,125-square-foot program-and-circulation model into an initial property review. Confirm attendance peaks, private-office occupancy, and sharing rules before treating 117 workpoints as the right capacity.
Request test-fit options that show the implications of the 65% and 70% attendance scenarios. Preserve the purpose of the meeting, focus, and support settings when comparing them. The model does not establish code compliance, a construction scope, or a leasing area.
- 01
Agree on the capacity basis
HR + business leaders
Validate peak attendance, contractors, visitors, dedicated assignments, and whether a capacity reserve should be added.
- 02
Confirm activities and adjacencies
Team representatives + planning
Review the room mix, confidentiality needs, and relationships that should shape the test fit.
- 03
Test candidate properties
Real estate + architect / design team
Reconcile the program with measured space, core and service constraints, technical requirements, and actual layouts.
- 04
Compare and approve the brief
Facilities + finance + leadership
Review capacity, setting quality, cost, and flexibility before selecting a property or approving design.
What the engagement could provide
A practical package for the next decision.
- Planning brief and assumptions register
- Quantified room and workpoint program
- Attendance-capacity comparison
- Adjacency priorities and conceptual blocking
- Directions and acceptance questions for the test fit
Your question. Your context.
Put this thinking to work for your team.
Start with the decision you need to make. Michael can help define the right scope, information, and deliverables.
Explore all five studies