As a clarification of needs, office planning forms the working basis for the construction planning of office buildings by architects and engineers. In contrast to technical construction planning, requirements planning is primarily a task of the user or building owner in order to define goals, requirements and framework conditions of the construction task.
Typical optimization goals in the context of office planning
Improving employee satisfaction, identification and motivation
contemporary self-presentation of the organization internally and externally
Conversion and new construction of office buildings offer the opportunity to rethink almost all aspects of an organization and to take the results into account in the construction planning.
In the 1950s, the American architect William M. Peña developed a method for the collaboration of laypeople and architects in the conception and planning of complex building tasks, which has been the standard for systematic requirements planning since its publication in 1969 under the title »Problem Seeking«.
In the following, the 24 most important aspects of requirements planning are outlined in 9 subject groups as well as the corresponding decision-making, design and optimization potential.
Sort the requirements according to their importance. Strategic goals have priority. For example, it is important to weigh up what is more important: customer trust or [annoying] security barriers. If communication and short distances are to be promoted, open espresso bars are more effective than tea kitchens [dark side rooms near the toilet], and attractive stairs and paths are better than elevators.
hierarchy
Areas and spaces can depict power structures, emphasize demarcation or connections. Board floors and anteroom are typical thresholds if they create unnecessary distance.
character
The first impression is shaped by the character of the building and its rooms. Here the unmistakable features of an organization, which distinguish it from others, can be effectively represented internally and externally using the means of design.
grouping
Grouping of processes
It is important to weigh up between departmental and process requirements: to separate organizational units against external disruptions and to optimize processes beyond the boundaries of the departments involved.
Grouping of services
For some services, centralization can be more cost-effective [group instead of workstation printer, central instead of departmental archive], for others decentralization is the better solution to save set-up times [decentralized meeting rooms] or to simplify access [group archive].
Grouping of people
Working groups and team structures work better if the feeling of togetherness is also supported spatially. Manageable small groups work better than large ones. Groupings that correspond to processes are better than spatial images of the organization chart.
Proximity
density
Density creates closeness, minimizes routes, saves space. Disturbances can be avoided through distance - at the expense of density - or through acoustic measures and shielding.
neighborhood
Team spirit is similar to being a good neighbor. The prerequisites are shielding and at the same time the emphasis on togetherness through spatial proximity. There is a balance between what promotes mutual aid and community, social control and counterproductive disorders.
Access
Several entrances are complex to operate and make control and orientation difficult. Nevertheless, it can make sense to have different access points for different traffic flows. Open access to information makes it easier to disseminate it, but also to steal data. Isolation hinders communication and makes it difficult to convert personal into collective knowledge.
links
homeland
Everyone needs a piece of home with which they - with a certain pride - identify. If there is no symbolic offer for this [our team lounge], everyone creates their own home [my office], which tends to hinder social integration.
Relationships
Relationships are the oil of effective organizations because they support self-regulation, collegial help, and togetherness. However, they mostly arise by chance in an informal setting. Informal, but expediently designed [not unkindly left to its own devices] interspaces can promote the growth of social networks and reduce obstructive distances.
communication
Personal exchange of information and knowledge is important in different forms. Formal meeting rooms induce laziness, are hardly suitable for creative processes and are often not ideal for group dynamic processes. Spatial proximity and casual informal encounters support the unbureaucratic and rapid exchange of explicit and implicit knowledge.
Development
orientation
Signposts are helpful, but do not replace “natural” features of orientation: perception of the outside space, contrasts and variety in the ambience. Landmarks attract attention and prevent unconscious reception from being in a non-stimulating environment.
safety
What must be protected from access, damage, destruction, theft or misuse? With what means? The means and systems used should be appropriate to the potential damage [high, medium, low] and adapted as flexibly as possible.
access control
Which areas need to be monitored? How can freedom of movement for authorized persons be ensured and at the same time the movement of less authorized persons restricted?
Move
separation
It can make sense to separate movements of people, goods and vehicles: by markings, barriers, levels, walls.
mixture
It can be just as useful to mix different streams of movement in order to encourage encounters or to save space. The overlapping of control surfaces for furniture and traffic routes can lead to considerable savings in office space. If, for example, the way to the toilet leads past the [decentralized] mailboxes, they are often emptied.
structure
One of the most unnecessary burdens in everyday office life are useless paths that are required by the illogical arrangement of facilities and aids.
Future security
flexibility
Flexibility has at least three dimensions: expandability with growth, divisibility with reorganization, adaptability to changes in use. It is important to specify the type of flexibility that may be required for each area and each technical system, because all forms of flexibility are hardly feasible at the same time, at least not cost-effective.
tolerance
Better than a tailor-made suit is a solution that includes reserves that can be activated if necessary. Building reserves that can be used later or temporarily rented out, supporting ventilation that can be expanded to partial air conditioning if necessary.
Work environment
Energy efficiency
Cooling loads are the main problem in office buildings. Roughly one third each comes from the outside, from electrical devices in the rooms and from the users themselves. The greatest savings are possible in planning, through target-oriented proportioned building dimensions, energy-efficient facades and protection systems against thermal radiation. Large savings can also be made with internal loads by using energy-saving devices [thin clients, laptops and group printers] and lights [with daylight and presence-dependent switching].
Environmental control
The physiological framework conditions are decisive for the performance of employees. Lighting that does not correspond to the biorhythm, bad climate, acoustic disturbances are not only the most common causes of employee complaints, but also proven productivity inhibitors.
realization
time
Sometimes it is necessary or useful to divide spatial changes into phases. However, it is almost always advisable to understand a structural measure as a development phase of an organization and to consider potential future phases in the planning.
costs
The optimization potential outlined above ensures that an organization gets what it needs. Nevertheless, the question of costs remains, because building is expensive, not least due to mistakes and bad planning. Ultimately, the benefits achieved determine whether a solution is inexpensive. This can amount to a multiple of targeted additional investments if, for example, energy-saving technologies are used to reduce operating costs or a motivating atmosphere is created for employees that increases productivity under the motto: "Form follows function - but not too close". In addition, “less is often more” applies, for example when long corridors or square meter surcharges for employees at higher hierarchical levels are saved in favor of space efficiency and a contemporary organizational culture .
swell
Wolfram Fuchs: Requirements planning in: Johann Eisele / Bettina Staniek (ed.), Bürobau Atlas , Callwey Verlag, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-7667-1649-2
Basic work on requirements planning: William M. Peña, Steven A. Parshall: Problem Seeking , Wiley & Sons Inc., New York 2001, ISBN 0-471-12620-9
