One of the most daunting, yet most important tasks required before you purchase or rent a new office space, is calculating how much space you will need. This is one of the first questions that a real estate broker will ask you in order to begin your search for office space. While there is no magic number of how many square feet you will need, there are several factors to take into consideration that will give you a great estimate of the required amount of space.
Factor one: Office design
To begin your calculation, you must first know what type of design you want your office to have. On one hand is the open space plan, which is very popular these days. Open plans are designed with the intention of integration due to their lack of private offices and the inclusion of large rooms with cubicles or clusters for people to work together. On the other hand is the more traditional and private office plan which includes individual offices, large conference rooms and other common areas such as break rooms and file rooms. This type of office design is popular among professions that need more privacy in the matters that they are dealing with such as lawyers.
Additionally, as referenced in our article, “Tips for Renting An Office Space”, Generation Z which will be the predominant work force in the next few generations. This is important because Gen Z prefers to do individual work in the comfort of a private office, signifying a shift from the sought after open-space office by Millennials. Nonetheless, you must decide what type of office layout is best for you, your staff, and the work you do.
Factor two: Number of employees
Of course, the number of employees plays a large role in the amount of office space that you will need. In the initial planning process, a general rule of thumb is allocating 250 square feet to each employee, but this number should be adjusted once your search has narrowed down. The numbers that follow are just suggestions and can be increased to become more spacious or decreased to create more efficient uses of office space.
For example, members on the executive board will need larger, private offices such as the president (400 sf), and the vice president (200 sf). Another position that will need a private, albeit smaller office is a manager requiring 150 square feet.
If you have employees that will require cubicles, their space needs will also be different. Engineers (175 sf), accountants (150 sf), secretaries (125 sf), customer service reps (125 sf), and programmers (125) will all require small to medium spaces compared to employees in an open area.
Open area employees such as clerks (125 sf), temps (100 sf), and data entry (125 sf) employees require the least amount of square footage.
Lastly, it is important to account for possible growth that might occur within your company over the next couple of years for which you will sign a lease. Make a headcount projection for the term of the lease and attribute 250 sf per person OR add 10-20% to the total square footage that you have calculated.
Factor three: Additional amenities
Regardless of the design that your company chooses, there are certain amenities that you might want to have such as a conference room, a reception area, and/or a break room.
Conference room: 50 sf + 25 sf per person seated
Reception area: 100-200 sf + 10 sf per person waiting
Lunch/Break room: 75 sf + 25 sf per person seated
File room: 200 sf
Storage room or library: 200 sf
Mail room: 125 sf
Work room: 125 sf
This can seem like a daunting task, but your real estate professional can help with the process. An architect should be part of your team to help you design the layout and will provide a wealth of knowledge for you to consider.
