Top 6 Considerations When Office Space Planning

A good office furniture fitout can give employees the means of using a workspace effectively. Our experts have highlighted 6 tips for office space planning.

Space

The first consideration for your office layout design should be space. The amount of square footage you have will impact what you can achieve and what workspace furniture you should go for.

To begin with, work out how much desk space each member of staff needs. This is usually determined by the IT equipment required, coupled with any paperwork or reference materials the user may need.

As a guide, the minimum desk size for two monitors is generally 1400mm wide x 700mm deep. For a single monitor workstation, the usual size would be 1200mm wide x 600mm deep. Someone that only requires an occasional workspace, say for a laptop or tablet, can usually work on a surface approximately 700mm wide x 600mm deep.

Follow these guidelines with your office space planning to ensure your office layout is both efficient and serves its purpose. Having a good office layout design will help create a work environment that encourages better employee performance, collaboration, and growth.

Learn more about our office space planning services here.

Light

The next step for office space planning is to consider your lighting. Natural light in any office is crucial as it helps to keep your workforce productive, motivated, and healthy.

You should aim for a combination of both natural and man-made light with your office layout design. This will keep the office pleasant throughout the working day. Whether its natural or artificial, your lighting is what will largely set the mood and atmosphere.

Large windows or skylights can be a great solution and an easy win when it comes to impressing visitors. Equally, if you have a small office, it’s important to make the most of what windows you do have. Avoid blocking light with your commercial office furniture if possible. Alternatively, if natural lighting is scarce, add LED lighting to brighten up a dark space.

It’s also worth noting that light not only makes for a more pleasant place to work, but many modern design elements in office space planning will help save energy costs too.

Comfort

Comfort should never be ignored in any office furniture fitout. Workers will usually spend much of their day sitting down, so it’s important to prevent strain and loss of concentration by providing appropriate, ergonomically designed business office furniture.

These days, investing in comfortable and good quality workspace furniture is a must. Try to choose adjustable furniture that can be configured to meet the user’s needs. For instance, an adjustable chair can be set higher for an employee with lower stature. Remember that healthy, content employees will produce their best work.

At BT Office, we have a variety of ergonomic commercial office furniture that can help with productivity in the workplace. This includes height adjustable desks, ergonomic task seating and comfortable soft seating.

Storage

Storage is another important consideration when office space planning.

Does every employee need storage at their desk? Would a central locker system work better? Whatever the answer, ensure you have a fully functioning and practical storage facility to maximize the available space.

Wall storage is usually a good option to consider for an office furniture fitout. Making efficient use of wall space maximizes space elsewhere, and naturally frees up desks that might become cluttered. A cluttered office will negatively affect productivity: as well as looking messy, employees spend will valuable time trying to find things. Planning for what type of storage your office layout design needs will help prevent this.

See our office storage cabinets and solutions here.

Noise

Office acoustics is one of the most important aspects of office space planning. Distracting noise, especially in open plan offices, is a major concern and should be addressed during the planning stage. If your office layout design doesn’t have the right acoustic measures in place, it can lead to future issues such as employee stress and low productivity.

During the design process, you should incorporate spaces where individuals can focus without interfering with their colleagues. Sound treatment, such as acoustic panels, can be installed around meeting or conference rooms to prevent noise from traveling through. Try to choose materials for your workspace furniture that has excellent sound absorption and that doesn’t echo or amplify unnecessary sounds.

Read our guide for an overview on office acoustics, or learn how the right acoustic furniture can benefit your workspace.

Movement

A good office furniture fitout should provide movement. You could say that movement is a synonym for a healthy office. After all, a flexible office will naturally encourage collaboration, which in turn will promote creativity for solutions to your business’ long-term growth.

This type of environment can be achieved with the right commercial office furniture, such as office booths and comfortable office sofas. These will provide places where workers can move away from their desks and have a change of environment. We even included movement in our latest article about office trends for 2023.

Other business office furniture that can help facilitate movement includes standing office desks, collaboration tables, and comfortable soft seating.

BT Office Furniture

Do you need help with your own office space planning? At BT Office Furniture, we have years of experience with office furniture fitouts, creating customized layouts that fit the unique needs of our clients. To discuss your project, call our office on 0800 298 7033 or e-mail us at [email protected]