FUNDAMENTALS OF SPACE

PLANNING
CORPORATE OFFICE
 Introduction to
Commercial Design
 Introduction

• What is Commercial Design?

– The design of any facility that serve a business
purpose.
– Once referred to Contract Design
– Portrays a aesthetic image of the company’s
mission
– Enhances productivity thru understanding office
communication, adjacencies and furniture needs
– Enhances employee pride
– Protects health, safety and welfare of the public
History of Commercial Design

• Business has been conducted for thousands of

years, evident in rooms found in the Pharaoh's
palaces, cathedrals of the Middle Ages.
• Industrial Revolution was a major factor in the
development of offices outside the home. Moved
from agricultural economy to an industrial economy.
Office spaces during this period used a closed
concept.
• The late 19th and early 20th century saw a growth in
office design with a specialization in commercial
interior design (Elsie de Wolfe and Dorothy Draper)
 Larkin Administration Building

• 1906, Frank Lloyd

Wright
• Buffalo, NY
• Mail order supplier
• 1st Open office
Larkin Administration Building
 Bull Pens
• Before WWII, most furniture consisted of freestanding desks,
files and bookcases
• The typical layout was called a “bull-pen” setup (the
placement of desks on a grid with aisles in between with the
executives separated to one side in enclosed windowed
offices.)
• The bullpen was popular
until the 1960’s. Typically,
there were a few high level
executives that oversaw a
large number of clerical type
workers.
Development of Corp. Office

• Following WWII, there was a large influx of people

seeking the American Dream.
• More and more people were using the GI bill to get
a college education.
• All of a sudden, office space became a valuable
commodity and the number of rental spaces
dramatically increased to keep up with the paces,
and the corporate office was born.
• By the 1960’s, the workforce was growing by
850,000 annually, and the bullpen style became out
of fashion.
 The Quickbourner Team

• Germany, 1959. Two brothers developed the concept of

open office layout and brought the idea to the US in
1967.
• They believed that many offices hindered work
productivity. Their designs promoted good
communication and flow.
• Referred to as office landscaping.
• Their plans were based upon a systems analysis of
work flow and communication.
• The layout was very free and non-rectilinear.
Open Office Landscaping
 The Quickbourner Team

• People in frequent contact with each other were

placed close together.
• Many acoustical problems were attempted to be
corrected by the use of carpet, plants and acoustical
ceiling tiles
• This new approach of “landscape” planning had a
tremendous impact on the way offices were to be
designed. They were flexible, efficient, open and
informal.
• Americans, however, were slow to accept the idea
because they didn’t want to give up their hardwall
office, which were status symbols to the executives.
 Robert Propst

• Hired by Herman Miller, Inc. in 1960

• A researcher and inventor
• Developed Action Office I for Herman Miller and
introduced it in 1964.
• A panel based system using a vertical approach
• Despite what the modern office has become, his
goal was to get away from boxes and corridors.
• The use of the panels violated the Quickborner
concept but was widely accepted as open office
landscaping.
Cubicle Jokes…
 The “Big Four”

• Haworth, Steelcase, Herman Miller and Knoll

• In 1974, Haworth, Inc. created the first electrified
panel system in it’s Unigroup line.
• Steelcase : Series 9000
• Herman Miller: Action Office
Herman Miller Action Office
Haworth Unigroup Too
Steelcase 9000
Knoll - Equity
 Types of Offices

• Commercial Interior Designers are hired

by a variety of different businesses.
Your role as a designer is to learn all
you can about the company you are
designer for.
• Types of Offices:
Accounting Real Estate Law Firms Design Firms
Banks Ad. Agencies Gov’t (GSA) Hospitals
Education Doctor/ Dental Engineering Retail
 Overview of Office Operations
The Executives:

• CEO: Chief Executive Officer, the highest ranking individual.

In smaller companies this may be the president or the principle.
• CFO: Chief Financial Officer, senior executive responsible for
overseeing the financial risks of the company.
• COO: Chief Operating Officer, senior executive responsible
for the day to day activities of the company.
• CIO: Chief Information Officer, senior executive responsible
for overseeing a companies information technology.
• CLO: Chief Legal Officer, senior executive repsonsible for
overseeing the legal aspects of the company.
 Vice Presidents

• The second highest layer of

management.
• They report directly to the CEO and are
responsible for specific departments or
division of the business

– VP of Marketing
– VP of Research
– VP of Economic Development
– VP of Engineering
 Managers and Supervisors

• Managers report to the VP over their division

• Payroll Manager
• Sales Manager
• Facility Manager
• Supervisors oversee and provide instruction to
subordinates and administer discipline /penalties to
workers. Supervisors report to the managers.
• Supervisors make up the largest number of mid-
management positions in a business.
 Organizational Charts …

• The larger the company, the more complex the

organizational structure.
• Organizational Charts are helpful in understanding
the organization in terms of rank. They help visualize
the formal reporting structure of the business.
• Organizational charts do not show day-to-day work
relationships. As a designer, you will find this
information thru programming methods.
Organizational Charts…
 The designers role is to:

• Understand what each department does

• Understand how the departments relate
to each other
• Understand what individuals do in each
department
• Understand the relationships of
individuals to each other by department.
 Divisions / Departments
• Executive Division: Presidents, VP’s
• Corporate/Legal Division: may consist of many
departments such as Legal, Communications, Tax Dept.,
Real Estate, Insurance, Purchasing and Public Relations.
• Finance Division: Accounts Payable, Accounts
Receivable
• Operations Division: responsible for the production of
goods or services. Engineering, Design Dept.
• Marketing Division: advertising and sales
• Administration Division: support services, receptionists,
mail rooms, file/supply rooms, training rooms
Typical Office Spaces

Executive Suite
Staff offices
General offices
Reception
Support areas
 The Executive Division

• The Executive Division consists of all the senior

executives.
• Sometimes called Vice Presidents (VP’s)
• CEO, CFO, CEO, CIO, CLO.
• This division determines the overall policies and
implements the policies of the board of directors.
• The Executive Suite often sets the tone of the
business. The location is desirable and the material
and furniture specified portray the image of the
company. It should impress their customers.
The Executive Division
Typically private offices
with a separate reception
area, executive
conference room, private
entrance. Desk chairs
are typically high back
executive chairs, leather
with headrest. All offices
in the executive suite
coordinate from the
same series. Usually
have a conference area,
soft seating area and
work area.
The Executive Division
Executive Boardroom:
Convenient for guest access
Must impress clients
Might be adjacent to kitchen
Might have access from CEO
office
Promote teleconferencing
Flat screen, LCD projector
Needs credenza for serving food
and beverages.
Reception Area

First Impression
A lot of money is spent in
this area
Will have a waiting area
nearby
Executive suite should be
nearby and visitors should
not have to walk thru
cluttered office areas
Needs accent lights
General Office/ Staff Offices

Often utilizes the open

office concept
Customer may never
actually see this area
Considered the
Production area
Less money is spent in
this area
Managers / supervisors
may have cubicles or
dry wall offices
Support / Ancillary Spaces
Supply storage
Mail Rooms
Central Files
Resource Library
Break room
Staff Conference
Staff Conference Rooms
Used for weekly / daily meeting
Should be flexible, use modular tables
Provide multiple lighting options
Shapes: Boat, racetrack, rectangle
Provide modesty panel for training
setups
Durable surfaces
Fixed ht. chairs or mechanical ht. mid-
back chairs
Staff Break Room

Create a fun space for

employees to escape
from work.
Should be durable,
easy to maintain
Keep expenses down
Break areas may exist
on each floor of a
multi-floor building
 Image

• Your design should reflect the firm’s

attitude toward several things:
• Corporate Image
• Budget
• Goals and plans for the future
• Attitude toward employees,
customers and vendors
• Cultural and global perspective
Traditional

Law Firms
Banks
University
Churches
What is
traditional?
Mahogany, molding,
stripes, leather,
burgundy, green and
navy blue
Transitional

An all around
“safe” option,
neither too
traditional nor
too
contemporary
Less molding,
cleaner lines
with simple edge
details.
Contemporary

Mixture of wood,
metal and glass

Ideal for
Advertising Agencies
Technology oriented
 Status and Rank
• Status and Rank is established by :
• Size of the office
- Space standards
- Set by job functions
- Must respect space standards
- Small firms may not have standards
• Location of Office
- Corner windows
- views
• Quality and Quantity of FF&E
- Wood vs. laminate
- Extra files/ bookcases/ credenza/ hutch
 Office Furniture Terminology

• Desks (conventional furniture)

• Executive
- Typically 36 x 72 or larger
- Single pedestal or Double Pedestal
- Bridge
- Table desk
- Executive “U” or “L”
• Secretarial
- 30 x 60 or 30 x 66
- Secretarial “U” or “L”
 Office Furniture Terminology

• Credenza
• Kneespace
- Typically 24” deep and matches main desk (72” long)
- Positioned behind the desk
- Min. of 42” between desk and credenza, 48” is better

• Storage Credenza
- Does not offer space for a computer
 Office Furniture Terminology
• Files and Storage
• Vertical File
- Old style file, typically 15” wide (letter) or
18” wide (Legal)
- Usually 28 – 30” deep, max. of 5 drawers
- Front-to-back filing method

• Lateral File
- New style, 30”, 36” or 42” wide
- Usually 18” deep, max. of 5 drawers
- Needs a counterweight
- Must specify filing method: front-to-back or
side-to-side, letter,legal, handing or
compressor.
 Office Furniture Terminology

• Files and Storage

• Open Files
- Uses an end tab file folder
- Medical offices
- Need magnetic shelf divider to support
files
- Can be taller than 5 shelves high
• Mobile Files
- Installed on a track
- Verify dead loads
- Considered a high-density filling
method
 Office Furniture Terminology

• Seating
• Desk Chair – Generic
• Task Chair – Ergonomic
• Executive Chair – High-back
• Management Chair – Mid-back
• Conference Chair
When specifying chairs
• Side or Guest Chair with castors, you MUST
- Sled base, stacking, high density consider the flooring:
- Soft Seating : Lounge furniture Hard floor = soft castor
Soft flooring = Hard
castors
Seating Percentiles
 Office Furniture Terminology

• Ergonomic Features
• Height and width adjustable arms
• Adjustable seat depth
• Tension control
• Waterfall fronts
• Lumbar support
• Seat pitch (negative pitch is best)
• Seat height adjustment (18” – 23”)
- Pneumatic vs. mechanical lifts
http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w135249/pd
f/id439/Haworth_verytaskchair.mov
 Trends in Office Design
• Today’s offices should:
• Easily adapts to changing technology
• Offer Flexibility
• Utilize innovative space planning – smaller office
size for same function
• Accommodate a diverse workforce
 Trends in Office Design
• Delayering
- Opposite of the”pyramid” chart
- More responsibility on the worker
- Makes them feel more a part of the company

• Teaming
- Used to develop products faster and to be more competitive in
the introduction of new products
- Linear team: work is passed from one to another, repetitive
- Parallel team: team members are from different dept’s. Not
the only project they are working on. A design team is an
example.
- Circular team: brainstorming to do very creative work.
Members come and go throughout the course of the project.
The team disbands when project is completed.
 Trends in Office Design
• Office of the Future
http://youtu.be/vNsXOQU1ORY
• Future predictions
- No longer 40 year employees, may work for 5
or more firms
• http://youtu.be/qPMS47urLPw
• Google workplace
• Google workplace
 Trends in Office Design
• How and where are
people working?
- Team environments, more
open spaces, no panels
- Virtual office (out of a
briefcase) Concept:
Anywhere, Anytime
- Home office (thanks to
technology)
- Telecommuting: on the road
- No longer 8 – 5: flex-time is
part of the recruiting process
 Alternative Office Concepts
• Caves and Commons:
- cave = individual office and Commons = team
environment

• Unassigned Office:
- systems or enclosed office used by any number of
workers. Can be reserved

• Hoteling:
- unassigned work spaces that are available to workers
by reservation like a hotel. First used by Ernst and
Young in Chicago. A concierge is assigned the task of
taking the reservation and insuring that the space is
equipped properly
 Alternative Office Concepts
• Free Address
- Same as an unassigned work space, usually
available on a first come first-served basis
• Hot Desk
- Same as a free address, literally means still
“hot” from the last user
• Landing sites
- Cannot be reserved, a free address that one
“lands” in when going into the office
 Alternative Office Concepts
• Just in time
- Same as an unassigned work space, usually an open,
flexible work area in which individuals or groups can
congregate. Moveable screens and personal mobile
files from a central storage area are common.

• Guesting
- May be assigned or unassigned work space for a visitor
or sales rep.

• Satellite office
- A work center established away from the main office but
convenient to outside workers. Mostly for transient
workers
 FUNDAMENTALS OF SPACE PLANNING
PROJECT - 4

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
• Reception Area
• Work space (Executive Office/General Offices/cubicles)
• Storage and space for materials
• Work Relationship
• Nature of Business
• Staff room (attached kitchenette)
• Toilet
• Conference Room