OFFICE ANATOMY

Topics
§ Types of offices
§ Layout organization : Work – Meeting - Support
§ Circulation
Offices
Office spaces are an environment
in which people spend a large part
of their day for productive work.
The entire work space should bring
out the best in people, in addition
to being easily accessible to all,
self-sustaining and efficient in
energy and water use. Safety is
another issue that needs to be
taken care of.
Types of offices
Offices cost more in space, construction and servicing than open-plan workstations, but offer individual privacy. Visual privacy
may be achieved with screens, but oral privacy requires walls, or partitions providing reasonable acoustic attenuation.

Office types :
1- Open plan
2- Cellular
3- combi 0ffice
4- office landscaping
Layout
organization
1.work
Layout
organization
2.meeting
Meeting room/space
Meeting rooms that are shared, and can be
booked, are taking the place of meeting
spaces in personal offices.
- Meeting spaces take up less space than
meeting rooms, and they are more often
furnished with lounging furniture - sofas,
occasional chairs and even beanbags - than
enclosed space.
- Small meeting rooms, for up to four people,
are in higher demand in most organizations
than large rooms
Executive Boardroom
Executive Boardroom:
Convenient for guest access
Must impress clients
Might be adjacent to kitchen
Might have access from CEO office
Promote teleconferencing
Flat screen, LCD projector
Needs credenza for serving food and
beverages.
Collaboration Space
Used for weekly / daily meeting
Should be flexible, use modular tables
Provide multiple lighting options
Shapes: Boat, racetrack, rectangle
Durable surfaces
Fixed ht. chairs or mechanical ht. mid-back chairs
Layout
organization
3.support
Layout
organization
3.support
 Reception Area
With reception being the first introduction to an organization, the
quality of the furniture is especially important. Receptionists may
work at standard workstations, or use an innovative meet and
greet approach , The purpose of these desks is to provide an
efficient workstation while also allowing communication and
surveillance .

Other furniture includes visitor seating, ranging from comfortable

sofas and chairs to small areas with chairs and a table for short
meetings. Stands may be provided to display promotional
literature, framing for posters or art works, and shelving for
products.
 Reception Area
First Impression
Will have a waiting area nearby
Executive suite should be nearby and visitors should not have to
walk thru cluttered office areas
Needs accent lights
Reception Area
Reception Area
Support - Ancillary
Supply storage
Mail Rooms
Central Files
Resource Library
Break room
 Lounge Areas

Create a fun space for employees to escape from

work.
Should be durable, & easy to maintain
Dining Space
Recycling
Accessible sink
Collaboration area
Flexible
Food storage
Dishwasher drawers
Vending – healthy choices
Circulation
According to the IBC* definition, circulation or circulation paths are “ An exterior or interior way of passage
from one place to another for pedestrians “ .

Circulation refers to hallway, corridors, aisles and also all open floor areas that are not specifically
dedicated to a room, an object, a piece of furniture or any other item that takes up actual floor space.
Circulation space could be assigned to the following areas :
• Walking space
• Standing space
• Sitting space
• Space to open doors and drawers
• Space to move items
• Leftover or unusual spaces
*IBC : International Building Code
Circulation : walking space
In office settings, walk space is referred to as corridors and aisles rather than hallways.
Corridors are defined as relatively enclosed passageways with doors that open into rooms or
offices along the walls.
Aisles tends to be more open walkways between workstations, files, shelving stack, and so on.
Circulation : walking space
Building code minimum corridor widths
As a rule of thumb, in commercial office
spaces, aisles and corridors needs to be a
minimum of 44 in. (118 cm ) wide . They
maybe wider if desired but in all situations
and plans, aisles and corridors must meet
the required width of 44 inch. Or as
stipulated for other occupancy groups as
listed in box 5.2 .
Circulation : walking space
For each space plan, the designer must always ask,” is the minimum corridor width desirable & practical ? Or is
there a better wider width that would be more aesthetically pleasing or functional and still meets the client’s
budget & design criteria ?

In commercial office spaces, most designers plan primary corridor width at approximately 60 in wide .
There are several reason for increasing primary corridor widths from the minimum standard :

• Ambience : wider corridors provide a slightly more

gracious feel.
• Practical : carts and other mobile objects can be
transported more freely in wider corridors.
• Spatial : it is more comfortable for one person
carrying items or two pope walking abreast in wider
corridors .
Circulation : Standing space
Shelving, printer, and other items, whether freestanding, or setting
on a counter, requires open floor space along their leading or front
edge where a person can stand to access them . Often this standing
space is immediately adjacent to an aisles or corridor, but it cannot
be part of the aisles or corridor. Aisles should be kept continuously
clear. This means that the standing space is an addition to the
required 44 in of aisles space.

Suggested clearness or overall widths for an aisles plus standing

floor space are 62-80 in .
Circulation : Sitting space
Many times users needs to sit while performing tasks or operating
equipment. In today’s market, where most office employees have
computers at their desks or workstation. This sitting space is planned
and included in the layout of the individual work areas .

In places where various people share pieces f equipment or counter

space, such as kiosk computers for filling out applications, sitting space
needs to be planned as an adjacent floor area. It is convenient to plan
this area immediately next to an aisle for direct access .
Circulation : Space to open
doors/drawers
To open doors and drawers, there must be sufficient clear floor space along the front of files and storage
cabinets. Additional standing space is required for the user .

This means, the designer should plan “ double “ spaces for these areas .
Circulation : Space to move items around
Circulation and floor space for chairs, mobile files, easels .

As with doors and drawers space, there are two types of spaces
to consider, the designer must allocate floor space to
accommodate the item and then allocate a reasonable amount
of space for movement.
Circulation : Leftover, unusual, or angled spaces
Very seldom do the client requirements fits perfectly within the building floor space. There are bound to be
unusual or leftover spaces, especially if the space plan is in an angled building or rotated within the floor
plate . These areas become part of the overall circulation space, which the designer can plan or utilize in
many effective ways :

• Wider aisles or corridors

• Larger rooms or offices
• Larger workstations
• The perfect spot for artwork, sculpture, or occasional chair
• Central gathering spot for employees
• General breathing space to provide relief from the maze of corridors and rooms
CONTRACT FURNITURE
Contract furniture
Because of the amount of use it sustains, small furniture for commercial interiors, normally
referred to as contract furniture, is generally more durable than furniture found in residential
settings.

Contract furniture is typically constructed with heavier- gauge metal, sturdier framework, and
tougher fabrics than materials commonly used for similar residential furniture items. As a result,
Contract furniture normally costs more than comparable residential items. In addition, contract
furniture items are generally manufactured according to industry-accepted standard sizes,
regardless of furniture style or manufacturer.
 Office furniture
Office furniture items customarily fall into one of 11 categories :

1. Casegoods : desks, credenzas, bookcases, storage units.

2. Filing : lateral files, vertical files, pedestals, storage cabinets.
3. Panel systems : panels, work surfaces, overheads, storage.
4. Tables : conference, training, lunchroom, informal, occasional.
5. Seating : desk chairs, conference chairs, guest chairs, sofas, lounge chairs, stools, benches.
6. Shelving : open, closed, movable.
7. Custom furniture : desks, tables, counters, workstations, seating.
8. Accessories : planters, letter tray, desk lamps.
9. Equipments : copiers, printers, fax machines.
10. Others: mail slots, carts, etc
11. Existing or reused : any or all of the above
Office Furniture Terminology
Desks (conventional furniture)
• Executive
- Typically 36 x 72 or larger
- Single pedestal or Double Pedestal
- Bridge
- Table desk
- Executive “U” or “L”
• Secretarial
- 30 x 60 or 30 x 66
- Secretarial “U” or “L”
Office Furniture Terminology
• Credenza
• Kneespace
- Typically 24” deep and matches main desk (72” long)
- Positioned behind the desk
- Min. of 42” between desk and credenza, 48” is better

• Storage Credenza
- Does not offer space for a computer
Office Furniture Terminology
Files and Storage
• Vertical File
- Old style file, typically 15” wide (letter) or 18” wide (Legal)
- Usually 28 – 30” deep, max. of 5 drawers
- Front-to-back filing method

• Lateral File
- New style, 30”, 36” or 42” wide
- Usually 18” deep, max. of 5 drawers
- Needs a counterweight
- Must specify filing method: front-to-back or side-to-side, letter, legal,
handing or compressor.
 Office Furniture Terminology
• Files and Storage
• Open Files
- Uses an end tab file folder
- Medical offices
- Need magnetic shelf divider to support files
- Can be taller than 5 shelves high
• Mobile Files
- Installed on a track
- Verify dead loads
- Considered a high-density filling method
 Office Furniture Terminology
Seating
• Desk Chair – Generic
• Task Chair – Ergonomic
• Executive Chair – High-back
• Management Chair – Mid-back
• Conference Chair – Seminar Chair
• Side or Guest Chair
- Sled base, stacking, high density
- Soft Seating : Lounge furniture
Toady’s Ofiice
Today’s office should:
• Easily adapt to changing technology
• Offer Flexibility
• Support multi-generational employees
• Support collaboration
• Utilize innovative space planning – smaller office size for same
function
• Accommodate a diverse workforce
• Support healthy lifestyles (active furnishings)
Image
Your design should reflect the firm’s
attitude toward several things:

• Corporate Image
• Budget
• Goals and plans for the future
• Attitude toward employees, customers
and vendors
• Corporate Culture and global
perspective
Wellbeing
Feeling good at work drives business performance.
CEOs value employees who are collaborative,
communicative, creative, and flexible.
But only recently are leaders realizing that fostering
these skills requires a new strategy: a rigorous focus
on employees wellbeing.
New Steelcase research and insights show how the
workplace can help organizations attain employee
wellbeing and business results they desire.

Wellbeing
What does the future hold?
Office of the Future

Office of Today, Workplace of Tomorrow

Thank you