If there is one aspect of the office leasing process that is usually over-looked, it is the lowly preparatory work to determine the exact requirements in play for office space needs.
Frequently, when office users are considering the office leasing issue, it is likely more a result of an impending lease expiration than any overarching need to make an adjustment in their space. Inertia is quite comfortable and if lease expirations weren't as frequent, there would be a great deal less consternation on the intimate details within the space, good or bad. In Europe, some firms have occupied the same space in the same building in the same town for decades and even centuries. Even firms with the highest of high tech fit right in on the forth floor of a four hundred year old building with no elevator.
Simple Method
Square Footage Estimate
Number of Employees
Square Footage per Employee
Total Square Feet Required
#
x
225
=
Recommended Area
Opportunity is in how you look at things. Lease expirations must be looked at as an opportunity to reevaluate your use of space, which starts with how your company operates functionally and determining the ideal.
Human nature frequently forces us to jump right into things we should be better prepared for.When you have decided that you want to start the process, it will be natural to want to go out and see some buildings, kick some tires, act like customer.Take cautionin touring buildings; there is a risk of commencing the landlord’s engines revving. This will generate many questions which are unanswerable and possible actually start some form of negotiations that were unintended. This puts the cart way before the horse, and forces you to loose control. Suggestion is that you leave the urge to see buildings until you are in the best position to manage the information.This information flows from the needs assessment and criteria.
Establishing an exact summary of what is ideal for your company will establish a benchmark against which to test not only every other office space you may see in the upcoming year, but also your present space. Functionally, this is very pragmatic. In order to make the office leasing process as smooth as possible, establishing this definitive criteria allows you to test each building you may consider against objective criteria. Such subjective elements like view, image and feel can wait and be tested later, AFTER the objective test is met. Having this fixed test abbreviates the process of touring buildings as certain ones can be disqualified (or put on the runner-up list). Applying this test through your Leasing Team means that you avoid repeating your need over and over to multiple building owners and not telling any two the same information.
Detailed Method
Specific Area Requirements
Area Type
Square Feet Required
President's Office
250 - 400
Vice President's Office
150- 250
Executive's Office
100 - 150
Partitioned Open Space
60 - 110 per person
Conference Rooms
- Seating for 6 people
150
- Seating for 8 - 10 people
250
Mail Room
8 0 - 250
Reception Area
- Reception Desk and 2 - 4 guests
125 - 200
- Reception Desk and 6 - 8 guests
200 - 300
File Room (10 to 20 file cabinets)
75 - 150
Library
175 - 450
Lunch Room
200
Work Area
100 - 150
Corridors
Add 20% for corridors
Whether a corporate executive, CEO or entrepreneur, this system is set up for easy development and planning. No single element during the leasing process will have such a profound impact on every other decision you make in the future other than the Criteria, Needs Assessment and Programming.
Needs Assessment are the physical, tangible items of your lease which measure how you use the space best to accomplish your business planning goals. Examples would include each individual in the office, each function from offices to storage, work areas, private offices and or modular partitioning, files, conference areas, kitchen or coffee facilities, break or smoking rooms, floor size, floor weight capacity, life safety requirements, parking, telecommunications, automation, supplies, board room, reception area, mail/copy room, executive dining room, storage, computer room, special electrical equipment, special HVAC requirements, law library, and floor weight capacity concerns.
The Criteria are the general senses that you wish to apply to the company such as image, client or customer perception, view from office, view toward or of the building from outside, distance from employee's or executive's homes, proximity to customers or vendors, corporate identity, other tenants in the building and services such as restaurants, service stations, banks, cash machines, and parking. Address any political influences such as the owner or company head likes triangle-shaped offices, requires proximity to his/her country club or can only be in single-story buildings. Are there any real ancillary aspects such as, needing to be in proximity to biggest client (but you don't want him to know it), concerns about your competition, corporate identity as hindrance or help?
Programming is the inter-relation between the Needs Assessment/Criteria and any property which may be considered. The programming also involves diagramming the tenant's functions to their preferred configuration, such as department growth, optimum adjacency and interaction (or need not to) with other company functions.
While some tenants and architects become enthusiastic about a building's image and "already design" prior to first determining the "does it work" elements fostered by the programming, these are the nuts and bolts only after which can the esoteric, design or architectural features be applied.
The architect on your team is best equipped to initiate these matters as he or she will be responsible for determining each location's compatibility with your chosen requirements, performing initial space plans to determine the preliminary layout of the space. The architect should also develop a "Bubble diagram" for quick test fit reference when attempting to qualify certain spaces or buildings.
Some deal of contemplation on the part of the team leader is required to plan forward in time what the needs of each department, person or function of the company will be three, five, seven or ten years from now. Not easy, but considering your business plan or general expectations, you should be able to make some best effort estimates. In addition to being important for just square footage at the outset of the lease, the results have a direct impact on your negotiations for expansion space, contraction rights, early termination privileges and Tenant Finish Allowances provided by the building owner.
After the programming has been roughed out with the appropriate square footage for each person, office, etc., the total square footage should be embellished to account for the common areas, corridors and general traffic areas. The total square footage of the net usable areas does not account for these common traffic areas within an office. As a general rule of thumb, the net square footage should be increased by around 20 to 25 percent, but the architect will be able to accurately determine these square footage based on your type of use; such as Law firm or telemarketing.
Nothing contained herein is to be considered legal advice. Always seek legal advice when evaluating any legal document
