Here our resident office planner - Jamie - discusses the factors involved in how many people will fit into an office space.

Well, there’s no one size fits all answer to this question as everyone has different needs and working practices.

For example, most offices might need spaces to be given over to printers, copiers, filing cabinets etc. and also you might need to add in some space for future expansion?

Office culture

Everyone uses their office differently and it all depends on how the team work and how much space they need. Some require small desks for just a laptop, others require larger desks for plans and drawings.

No one wants to be squashed in like battery hens as this can feel quite claustrophobic and will not lead to efficient working.

And if you’re trying to tempt people back to the office a few days a week and get away from complete home working all the time, you need to make it a pleasant place to be.

A good rule of thumb to start with on working out the space is, each person requires 4.6 sqm for desk space and amenities. This was taken from Regulation 10 of the Workspace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

But bear in mind that the above is a minimum for each person, so this will be affected by extra access required for doors openings and main walkways etc.

Desk Spacing

When arranging a desk layout in an office we try and aim to give people sitting back-to-back a minimum of 1800mm between desk to desk. Anyone sat with their back to the wall on their own requires a minimum of 900mm, whereas if they are sat side by side we’d give them at least 1250mm (desk to wall) in order for either person to get to and from the workplace without disruption.

Storage Access

If people sat at desks are backing on to storage units with opening doors or drawers, the above minimums can be increased again depending on the size of the door swing / extent of drawer opening. Don’t forget that while someone is sat down at their desk, it requires space to open the doors and walk past them, so the space required could be around 1800mm (desk to storage unit).

Walkway widths

Main walkways through the office (to a main entrance or exit) ideally need to be a minimum of 1200mm wide so two people can pass without hindrance. Secondary walkways can be a bit more modest leaving at least an 800mm clear gap between chairs, desks or other obstructions.

Of course, if there's a requirement for wheelchair access in the office, this can increase the secondary walkway widths to at least 900mm and access to the desks in question might require a 1500mm diameter space for turning and access. Things can be tailor made at this stage, for example what size is the wheelchair? As things can be adjusted to suit your office needs and the needs of the individual.

Need more help...

If you would like to discuss how many people you can or should fit into your office, do get in touch via our contact form below. We can help you with the planning of your space.