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space planning or planning for space?

Source: www.fmxmagazine.co.uk

Space planning has always been perceived as an art, or maybe as the art of the possible. Designers understand the requirements that an organisation may have of the space it uses, based on interviewing managers and staff and observing people working in the space. Although they may like to have more solid data to work from, the reality is that the ROI on data capture have never been particularly efficient.

During the late 90s, furniture giant Steelcase’s community-based planning research work was one of the most innovative approaches to data collection for new space solutions. A variety of techniques were employed, from shadowing employees to observation and creating complex relationship matrices as the basis for a space-planning solution that mirrored the way the organisation worked.

However, although those who engaged with the project were amazed by the positive impact the new space had on their organisation, the reality was that the cost of getting to the data was huge; in fact, for most organisations prohibitively expensive.

New approaches to space panning, from implementing hot-desking to different work settings to support different work modes, or simply increasing the amount of meeting space, have posed issues for the FM managing the space once the designers have left the building. Having this new type of space can be the best thing to drive necessary change in the business; however, FM's were finding that a bit like an unruly child, the space solution could create havoc if robust management systems aren’t in place.