Sharp increase in office density reveals today's changing working environment
The occupancy density of offices in the UK has increased dramatically, according to new figures from the BCO.
Read on for the latest research from the BCO.
Launching the new BCO Guide to Specification at the Annual Conference on 21 May 2009, the BCO revealed that the average density of workplaces has increased 40% (i) since 1997, when the average office density (the net area per person) was 16.6 sqm (ii) in 1997 compared to 11.8 sqm (iii) today.
However, whilst such a sharp increase in the office workplace density (iv) may signal that offices are becoming more crowded, research from the BCO reveals this is not the case. A decade of innovative design and technological developments that enable flexible working have allowed businesses to use their office space more efficiently and allow more people to fit into the same space without creating a crowded environment (v).
In response to the findings, and to reflect the changing demands of office occupants, the BCO has changed the recommended density levels for offices in the UK. The new guidelines for density will be unveiled at the launch of the BCO Guide to Specification (21 May 2009), the 'standards bible' for commercial office space in the UK. The 2009 guide recommends design occupany density levels increase to 8-13 sqm from the recommended 12-17 sqm in the previous BCO Specification released in 2005.
Richard Kauntze, Chief Executive of the BCO, says:
"It is a misconception that higher office densities mean we are all packed in like sardines. The increase in density has come about because, on the whole, we are working differently and using space more effectively. The cellular, inflexible offices of the 70s and early 80s have gradually been replaced by open-plan, team-orientated environments with a range of facilities from kitchens to gyms. We are a knowledge-based service economy where comfort and amenity play a significant role in workplace productivity.
"You only have to look at the companies that continually top the best places to work lists to know that a great office is often part and parcel of productive, motivated workplace."
The new Guide to Specification also recommends 10 sqm as the new average benchmark for office workplace density and sqm per person for occupancy denisity which reflects the fact that often all available desks in an office are not always in use at the same time. The BCO has updated the average benchmarks to help developers and architects plan new builds and refurbishment projects more effectively, particularly during times when intensification of space is a considerable financial driver.
Richard Kauntze continues:
"Density can vary significantly depending upon the nature of the business. A financial company with trading floors will have a much higher office density than the London HQ of a law firm - one requires colleagues to be in close proximity to share information, the other requires large conference and hospitality facilities. If an office developer does not know what a building will ultimately be used for, designing the building can be difficult - which is why we have introduced new average benchmarks.
"One size will never fit all with office space, but the BCO feel it is essential that more precise guidelines are in place to help the commercial office sector meet the need of prospective clients."
The BCO Guide to Specification is available to buy here
Fergus Campbell / Jo Inglis / Julia Muir
British Council for Offices / Blue Rubicon
T: +44 (0)20 7260 2700
bco@bluerubicon.com
References
i) 40% increase: If density increases to 11.8 sqm, 1.4 workplaces will fit into 16.6 sqm where previously 1 workplace would fit
ii) 16.7 sqm average density cited in the 1997 [report]
iii) 11.82 sqm average density cited in the BCO commissioned Pringle Brandon research into current occupancy density of commercial offices in the UK. The Pringle Brandon research covered 249 UK properties and more than 2m sqm of net internal office area.
iv) Density definitions:
Occupational density is commonly described as the amount of Net Internal Area (NIA) per person and it is usual to complete this for the whole building, i.e. to express density as the total NIA divided by the total population of the building. However, the appropriate population to ascribe to a building varies, depending on the context.
The Pringle Brandon research uses three measures of occupational density: Workplace density, Population density and Effective density.
Workplace density, as mentioned in this release, is defined as: buildings or the workplaces and other spaces within them are rarely if ever occupied to maximum capacity. In fact a number of studies have indicated that the maximum utilisation of workplaces in many organisations is typically in the range of 50%-60%. In such situations, the effective density is thus considerably less than the workplace density. Workplace sharing regimes have been introduced in many organisations with a view to increasing the effective density.
v) Pringle Brandon research (see iii) and analysis from the 2009 BCO Guide to Specification.