How to Determine Your Office Space Requirements
Whether you're renting commercial space for the first time or looking to relocate, determining your office space requirements comes down to answering a few key questions about your business needs.
How Many People Need Office Space?
Start by determining your current and future office occupancy needs:
- Current Headcount: Calculate how many employees need workspace and their expected office attendance frequency
- Future Growth: Plan for 10-20% more space than current needs to accommodate growth over your lease term
- Location Strategy: Decide whether your workforce is better served by a single central office or multiple smaller locations based on anticipated headcount changes
How Much Office Space Do You Need?
Your commercial office space requirements depend on your chosen type of buildout. While U.S. offices average 214 square feet per employee (CoStar, 2020), space needs vary by layout style. An open plan buildout requires less space than private offices.
Office Space Guidelines by Layout
- Individual Workspace: 125-150 square feet per person for open plans, 400 square feet for private offices
- Common Areas: Additional space for break rooms, conference rooms, kitchens, and reception
- Flexibility Factors: Consider desk sharing arrangements and hybrid work schedules
Remember to understand the difference between rentable and usable square feet when calculating your total space needs.
Also, don't overlook storage when planning your layout. Built-in cabinets, shelving, and dedicated storage rooms can take up more space than expected. Choose modular furniture and adaptable layouts that allow for easy reconfiguration as team needs evolve or headcount changes.
Office Space Calculator
Want a quick estimate? Use our office space calculator to determine how much square footage your team needs based on employee count, layout preferences, and common area needs. It adjusts in real time and gives you a detailed breakdown.
What Office Buildout Will Work Best for Your Business?
This decision will be significantly informed by the types of tasks carried out by your company, and what its priorities are with regard to considerations like client interaction, privacy, collaboration, productivity and wellness. The three most common types of buildouts are open plan, collaborative and private office. Each of these buildouts offer distinct attributes and challenges, and the layout you ultimately select will have an impact on almost every facet of your buildout costs and occupancy experience.
In any buildout, consider how employees move through the space. Good circulation improves collaboration, reduces bottlenecks, and ensures access to shared areas like conference rooms, break rooms, and storage. Wide walkways and clear paths between zones can also enhance ADA compliance and day-to-day productivity.
What Technology Infrastructure Space Should You Plan For?
Beyond workstations and common areas, modern offices require dedicated space for technology infrastructure. Plan for:
- Server room or IT closet: 100-150 square feet minimum, with proper ventilation and cooling
- Charging stations and power hubs: 20-30 square feet per collaborative area
- Network equipment rooms: 80-100 square feet for routers, switches, and telecom equipment
- Printer and copier stations: 50-75 square feet per station
Office Space For Lease
What Is an Office Space Program? (And Why Should You Consider One?)
An office space program is a strategy that your business can develop in concert with an architect to conceptualize and design an office environment that satisfies your company's requirements, implements industry-specific best practices and accurately reflects your organization's mission, culture and values.
While it may not get you to the moon and back, a space program for your office will take into account your company's technology and space needs, workflow and recruiting objectives, as well as aesthetic and cultural considerations, to develop an office that realizes all of your organization's office ambitions. Part of this process will involve ascertaining the number of common area spaces your company will need, including reception areas, conference rooms, collaboration spaces, kitchens, etc.
What if You Already Have an Office?
If you already have an office, but your lease is expiring or your requirements have shifted, you'll still want to consider most, if not all, of the items detailed in this article thus far. However, there are some additional parameters that you'll have to bear in mind, as well.
- Review renewal and termination options: It is critical that you carefully review all of the salient details of your current lease, including your expiration date, holdover charges and renewal and termination options. Both renewal and termination options typically have to be exercised well in advance of your lease's expiration date, so it's important to be aware of the exact requirements of each clause in order to take maximum advantage of the options that are available to your organization.
- Decide whether to renew or relocate: This is a complex decision that will be based on myriad factors. Nonetheless, even if you are fairly certain you want to remain in your existing premises, it's important to consider alternatives - both as a matter of prudent due diligence and in order to create leverage with your current landlord.
As you reassess your space, factor in your budget along with building amenities like parking, security, and access to public transit. These elements can significantly impact both operating costs and employee satisfaction, especially in competitive markets.
Considering Flexible Alternatives?
If your team doesn't need a traditional long-term lease, coworking spaces offer a flexible and cost-effective way to meet your office needs. They're ideal for hybrid work models, startups, or companies scaling quickly without committing to fixed square footage.
Browse available coworking spaces for rent that offer flexible workspace solutions:
