by Brianna Crandall — November 10, 2010—Extra space around the office does not necessarily mean additional workspace for employees, concludes a new International Facility Management Association (IFMA) research report. Space and Project Management Benchmarks provides information on current costs and best practices associated with office space, office moves, furniture acquisition and project management.
The report includes workplace space allocation information for a variety of industries, position titles and facility types, based on hundreds of responses from facilities professionals throughout North America. It offers the latest data on space per person; workstation size; conference, support and amenity space allocation; move and furniture costs; and more. The report was produced in conjunction with architectural firm HOK and the Corporate Facilities Council of IFMA.
Among the findings, office space is not as densely packed as it used to be, with 2010 showing an overall five percent increase in vacancy rates. Every industry category except the federal government has experienced a decrease in occupancy since 2007. Individual workers are not necessarily benefitting from the extra space, partly due to the trend over the past two decades toward smaller individual workstations. The extra space appears to be going towards conference rooms, storage space, amenities such as fitness and day care facilities, and empty, unused workstations.
Perhaps not surprisingly, only 30 percent of respondents anticipate the need for more space in the years to come, down from 41 percent in 2007. While this signals expected growth, it does so at a more restrained and conservative pace than in the recent past, notes IFMA. Office moves have also decreased since 2007, which the report sees as likely another indication of less office activity and a desire to minimize moving costs.
The full Space and Project Management Benchmarks research report is available for purchase online. Other IFMA research and survey results are also available online.
