Build September 2016

Build Magazine 70 Grabbing a coffee-to-go and a newspaper, the average businessperson would be forgiven for doing an internal fist-pump if they managed to secure a seat on public transport in London’s rush hour. With increasingly limited space available, and with numbers constantly rising; can London’s offices really accommodate in excess of 6,408,607 people? Or, are offices slowly shrinking? ear on year, an increase can be seen in the hordes of commuters, visitors and residents who flood the capital during rush hour. Tracking back to 2014; the Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded a ‘3.5 per cent increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting London from that of the previous year.’ Following this, in 2015, the BBC acknowledged a monumental rise in numbers again, with a staggering 17.4 million overseas visitors, and 8.6 million London residents.’ These statistics would go some way to explain the swarm of people jostling to get a space on the tube. However, the real culprit, it would seem, is the influx of daily commuters. As noted by the Telegraph, the workday population accounts for an extra 6,408,607 people in the capital. Although London is never truly quiet, post-rush hour sees a significant reduction of people on the streets and on public transport. Given the pressure that is being observed on London’s finite public transport system, what can we draw about the similar effect on office spaces in the city? With London businesses enjoying the added capital from the throngs of visitors, the need for expansion may closely correlate with business success. More employees will be needed to meet the surge in demand, and with more employees hired, the necessity for more space becomes a reality too. Some businesses may be reluctant to move owing to their location being a popular one with their target market. And, with little room for expansion, the employee density in such offices could easily rise. It would therefore be fair to assume that London offers the densest work space for employees however, statistics from the BCO revealed that ‘the South West was recorded to have the highest density for office work space at 8.6 sq. m. per workstation, whilst London offered an average of 11.3 square metres.’ The South East offered a larger workspace still, at ‘12.7 square metres.’ Is Your Office in Need of Elastic Walls? Personnel Considering the aforementioned statistics for the South West and London, just what constitutes as a healthy work-space for employees? According to Hse .gov.uk , the national guidelines for office space are as follows: ‘The total volume of the room, when empty, divided by the number of people normally working in it should be at least 11 cubic metres. In making this calculation a room or part of a room which is more than 3.0m high should be counted as 3.0m high. The figure of 11 cubic metres per person is a minimum and may be insufficient if, for example, much of the room is taken up by furniture etc.’ The figure of 11 cubic metres does not apply to retail sales kiosks, attendants’ shelters, machine control cabs or similar small structures, where space is necessarily limited; neither would it apply to rooms being used for lectures, meetings and similar purposes. In a typical room, where the ceiling is 2.4m high, a floor area of 4.6m2 (for example 2.0 x 2.3m) will be needed to provide a space of 11 cubic metres. Where the ceiling is 3.0m high or higher the minimum floor area will be 3.7m2(for example 2.0 x 1.85m). (These floor areas are only for illustrative purposes and are approximate). Astonishingly, the average London office offers ample room for employees to work within, compared to the insufficient space provided for employees in the South West of England. Considering these statistics; it is worth noting whether the current situation is likely to improve or decline? “We could pick our feet up off the ground and not fall” A decade ago saw employees working on the trade floor, experiencing one of the densest working environments. Despite the modern day stock exchange still making for a busy working environment; beneficial changes have been implemented in order to allow workers more space. In an interview by Business Insider, a former worker described his experiences: ‘In 1997, there were close to 10,000 traders on some trading floors. It was physical. It was loud. It was total mayhem. “The physicality in the pit was ridiculous. We got to the point where at times the pit was so physical that before the start of the opening bell we could pick our feet up off the ground and not fall”.’ ‘However, with modern technology slowly taking over, most trading pits have now closed in favour of computerised technology, allowing traders more space.’ The improvements seen in conditions at the stock exchange have unfortunately not been mirrored in other job sectors. Officespacefinder .co.uk , published figures suggesting that: • ‘The average required space per person for clerical or secretary positions in an open space office is 60 to 110 sq. ft.’ (which equates to 1.83m2 per person). • For reception areas, it was advised that ‘125 to 200 sq. ft. was allowed where there were two to four receptionists working’, and ‘200 to 300 sq. ft. for receptions where six to eight people were working.’ These statistics would see the former with 1.6m2 and the latter with 1.5m2 of workspace each. Regardless of the fact that workplace guidelines state 11 cubic metres to be ‘insufficient if much of the room is taken up by furniture etc.’; employers across job sectors regularly ignore this clause, filling an employee’s workspace with large office materials. A survey carried out by Building .co.uk found, ‘the occupational density on a call-centre floor is usually high, typically 5-8 m2 per person.’ This would instantly be considered insufficient by governmental guidelines however, the study went on to find that, ‘even then, some of the workspaces [are] filled with Y