Office

Office

An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...

 layouts are arranged so that staff can work together in departmental and team groupings, providing the best opportunity for efficient work flow, communication and supervision.

Churn rate

In many organisations, office layouts are subject to frequent changes. This process is referred to as churn rate, expressed as the percentage of the staff moved during a year.

Statutory requirements

Statutory requirements related to office layouts will vary in different countries but examples may include: the minimum amount of space to be provided per staff member; fire safety arrangements; lighting levels; signage; ventilation; temperature control and welfare arrangements.

Business needs

Office layout designs should provide an environment suitable for the business needs of the organisation. For example: call centres undertake their business ‘on screen’ and require small desk areas per staff member, minimum document storage, and may have limited requirements for photocopying facilities and printing. In contrast, companies handling paper based documentation will require larger desks for their staff, storage for records, archive facilities, photocopying and printing facilities close to hand.

Accommodation standards

Organizations often have a policy on the minimum standards of accommodation for each staff grade. Administration staff may work in open plan offices whereas mangers may have individual offices, sized on a seniority basis. In open plan offices screens are sometimes used between desks to reduce noise and provide an element of privacy.

Space planning

The grouping of staff in teams often provides the best option for inter-communication and/or supervision and is a key factor in office layout design. However, where space is at a premium it may be difficult to accommodate a workgroup in a given area, and the solution often involves making space by moving others. These types of move may be complex and disruptive as there is often a chain of events involved.

Planning tools – CAD

Modern office layouts are frequently planned using CAD (Computer-aided design

Computer-aided design

Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...

) drawing software.

Services

Each desk in an office may require a telephone and computer. In large offices the power and data cables may be run under a raised floor

Raised floor

A raised floor or access floor are types of floor that provide an elevated structural floor above a solid substrate to create a hidden void for the passage of mechanical and electrical services...

 to the desk. Another alternative in smaller offices is to use dado trunking around the wall. Other alternatives are to use ceiling power poles which can assist space planning of desks away from perimeter walls

Partitions

Open plan offices are often divided up into smaller offices for managers, meeting rooms, etc. When this happens the designer has to take into account several factors including:

• Heating/cooling zoning
  HVAC
  HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
  
  
• Ventilation
  Ventilation (architecture)
  Ventilating is the process of "changing" or replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality...
  
  
• Lighting and light switches
• Emergency light
  Emergency light
  An emergency light is a battery-backed lighting device that comes on automatically when a building experiences a power outage. Emergency lights are standard in new commercial and high occupancy residential buildings, such as college dormitories...
  
  ing
• Small power
• Voice and data cabling
• Fire alarms
  Fire alarm system
  An automatic fire alarm system is designed to detect the unwanted presence of fire by monitoring environmental changes associated with combustion. In general, a fire alarm system is classified as either automatically actuated, manually actuated, or both...
  
  
• Fire stopping
  Firestop
  A firestop is a passive fire protection system of various components used to seal openings and joints in fire-resistance rated wall and/or floor assemblies, based on fire testing and certification listings....
  
  
• Fire escape routes
  Emergency exit
  An emergency exit in a structure is a special exit for emergencies such as a fire: the combined use of regular and special exits allows for faster evacuation, while it also provides an alternative if the route to the regular exit is blocked by fire, etc....
  
  
• Noise/acoustics

Staff welfare facilities

Office staff require access to basic welfare facilities in an office such as toilets and drinking water. Consideration may also be given to vending, catering or a place where staff can make a drink and take a break from their desk.