This chapter deals collectively with the options that are available in terms of how space can be provided from, at one end of a scale, the procurement of a new facility that could take several years to realize through to the relocation of personnel overnight into a fully serviced workplace.
There has to be an understanding of how space is used, by whom and for what purpose in order to determine if current utilization and, hence, efficiency is appropriate into the future.
The following points, among many others, are covered in the chapter.
- Organizations today have many options for meeting their real estate and space needs and requirements – they range from the highly formalized, such as the acquisition of a new facility, through to renting temporary space (either serviced or non-serviced).
- For organizations in the early stages of business growth, fully serviced workplaces have much to offer in terms of convenience and economy.
- For more established organizations, there could be a need for readily available workplaces to help mobilize a new operation, relocate an existing team or recover from an incident.
- Space efficiency can be a key factor in the success of an organization and so the drivers for space and demand into the future have to be understood.
- A balance has to be struck between an organization’s needs and what it can afford: this is referred to as its sustainable space provision.
- Planning for change in the use of a facility can arise from the ongoing management of the existing facility; it might otherwise arise from a business decision that has identified a need that is best satisfied by a new or refurbished facility.
- Briefing is the process for engaging an organization in a structured discussion about the functions and other characteristics it requires in a new or refurbished facility.
- A number of defined steps should be followed to ensure that the facility’s design takes full account of operational requirements: this is the principle of design and construction for operability.