Choosing Office Premises

2. Size and Type of Premises

Work out the requirements for your business.

2.1 Decide on your total space requirement.

• Work out what space each person needs.
• Take into account any space that could be saved through hotdesking.Desks can be shared by a group of employees, if they are not all in the office at the same time.
• Decide what additional space will be needed for meetings and storage.

2.2 Decide on the type of layout you want.

• Open-plan space is more flexible, since you can divide or reorganise the space as your needs change.Regular rectangular floors with a minimum number of pillars provide the maximum amount of usable space.
• Individual rooms offer privacy and are quieter.

2.3 Decide what your technical needs will be.

• Consider modern buildings with air conditioning, cabling ducts and good security systems built in.
• Consider how much natural light comes into the building. Dark offices lead to more sickness and low productivity. Money saved by renting a basement office may be a false economy.
• Make sure the services are adequate.For example, power points and phone sockets wherever they are needed.

2.4 Look for premises which will allow you to expand or contract.

• Going into a serviced office block may allow you to shift from one office to another, while keeping the same address.This reduces relocation costs and the disruption of moving.
• Consider whether the nature of your business may change, so that you need another kind of premises.
• Do all your operations need to be under one roof?

2.5 Decide what image you need to project.

• A large, clearly visible office may add to your prestige.
• Consider the advantages of perceived size.The 'Saatchi building' was occupied by many companies other than the advertising firm, but the impression was given that Saatchis occupied all of it.