Bluespot Furniture Direct
Aftersales Support
Contact Us
  • 0
  • Office Desks
    • Rectangular Desks
    • Desks with Drawers
    • Corner Desks
    • Wave Desks
    • Back to Back Desks
    • Height Adjustable Desks
    • Home Work- Home Office Desks
    • Office Desk Accessories
  • Office Chairs
  • Office Storage
    • Office Pedestals
    • Office Cupboards
    • Office Filing Cabinets
    • Office Tambours
    • Office Bookcases
    • Personal Storage Lockers
    • Modular Cube Storage
      • Complete Cube Storage Units
      • Modular Cube Components
  • Meeting Furniture
    • Meeting Room Tables
    • Meeting Room Chairs
    • Meeting Room Storage
  • Home Office
  • Cafe & Restaurant Furniture
    • Round Coffee Tables
    • Round Dining Tables
    • Round Poseur Tables
    • Square Coffee Tables
    • Square Dining Tables
    • Square Poseur Tables
    • Cafe & Restaurant Chairs
  • Wall Acoustic Panels
  • Ranges
    • Our Product Ranges
      • Core
      • Deluxe
      • Elite
    • Our Colour Ranges
      • Black
      • White
      • Woodgrain
      • Urban
      • Carbon
      • Vanta
      • HD
      • Reflections
  • Furniture Assembly Instructions
  • 0
Aftersales Support
Contact Us
Next Day Delivery
On 1,000s of products
10 Year Guarantee
On the majority of furniture
UK Manufacturer
Made in Yorkshire
Instant Credit
Government, Schools etc
press Enter to search Showing all results: No products found.

    How to Plan An Office Space – help with layouts and terms explained

    By Judith Callens on 22/11/2017

    Don’t let office planning become a terrifying task – our essential guide is here to cover all the basics…

    Office planning is a bit of an alien concept to most people as it normally falls to specialists to carry out the task. However, there are occasions where office managers, admin assistants or someone else in the office might be tasked with arranging office moves or redesigns to cut project costs. With this in mind, we’ve taken a look at the basics of planning an office space and put together this guide to office planning to help you understand all the terms and jargon you might come across.

    What is office planning?

    So first, the basics. Office planning is the process of designing and arranging the office space – helping to organise the office layout for the ultimate benefit of a company. Office plans are produced prior to refurbishment, relocation or office fit-out programmes, to help organisations plan out the location of workspaces, furniture and equipment, in an effort to maximise efficiency, productivity and communication.

    How to plan an office space
    What is a space plan?

    In office planning, a space plan outlines how each area of the office will be laid out, how people will use that space and the kinds of activities that will take place in each area. It will also define how people move through the office environment – helping to inform the positioning of furniture, equipment and workstations in the process. This shows just how vital a space plan is for a well-functioning and productive office space.

     

    What is meant by the layout of an office?

    Office layout is a term used to describe the arrangement of office equipment and furniture within the available office space. When creating an office layout, the idea is to arrange the space and the items within it in such a way that the team (and organisation as a whole) can operate at maximum efficiency and to ensure you are making the most of all the space you have. This may mean making the most of your vertical office space as well as your standard floor layout.

     

    What is Blue Yonder planning?

    Blue Yonder is an American software and consultancy company, specialising in supply chain management, manufacturing planning, retail planning, store operations and category management solutions. It produces a range of software packages and solutions, designed primarily for the retail sector.

    Blue Yonder space planning describes the process of using category management software and solutions from the company to support the space planning process. Designed for the retail environment, it uses analytics and insights about customer shopping behaviour to help businesses develop spaces that boost in-store sales and profitability. These services and solutions can be extremely helpful to those looking to design a workspace, especially in the retail sector.

     

    What is a store layout?

    In the retail environment, store layout refers to the interior arrangement of the store. How a store is laid out – in terms of the floor space, merchandising and tills – has a big influence on shoppers, impacting customer numbers, perceptions, flow and purchasing behaviour.
    Taking steps to optimise the layout of the store will help to improve sales and drive profitability. The services and solutions Blue Yonder provide can be extremely helpful in this sector.

     

    What is a cellular office layout?

    A cellular office layout is one that utilises multiple, separate offices (or ‘cells’) as part of the design. It’s the opposite of an open-plan office, where all the personnel share the same space. In a cellular office, different departments or individuals will each have their own defined office spaces or rooms, clearly separated by doors, booths and/or screens.

     

    What is macro space planning?

    In the retail environment, macro space planning refers to the floor planning of the store. It covers the positioning and allocation of different product categories within the shop. Micro space planning refers to shelf planning – how subcategories and individual products fit within the shelves and wider categories in a store.

     

    What is a test fit?

    A test fit is a floorplan used to confirm that all the requirements and needs of a layout can be properly accommodated within a given space. It’s a vital part of project planning and is done early on in the process to ensure that all the offices, rooms, furniture, workstations and equipment required by your organisation will fit correctly into the space you have.

     

    What are use classes?

    Use classes are categories of uses for land and buildings, according to the Town and Country Planning Order, 1987. They detail what certain land and buildings can and cannot be used for. This is important to remember when redesigning, moving or refitting an office space. Uses can be changed, but this may require an application for planning permission or prior approval, so it’s always best to check before you start planning.

     

    What does B1 use mean?

    B1 is a category within the ‘Use Classes’ of the Town and Country Planning Order. It stands for business and comprises three sections. Buildings or land categorised as B1 use can be used as offices (other than financial and professional services), for the research and development of products and processes, and for light industry appropriate in a residential area.

     

    What is sui generis planning?

    ‘Sui generis’ is a Latin term meaning ‘of its own kind’. It’s a term used to describe buildings that do not fall into any of the traditional Town and Country Planning use categories – such as theatres, petrol stations, scrap yards, nightclubs, laundrettes, taxi businesses, betting shops and casinos. Changing use either to or from a ‘sui generis’ usage will require planning permission.

     

    Home office planning

    With flexible working now on the rise, it may be that you are looking to plan a home office design rather than a formal office space. For detailed information on home office planning, our essential guide provides all the help you need.

     

    Office planning essentials

    Now that you’ve got a grasp of the basic lingo and essentials of office planning, you should have a good foundation to start your next exciting project. If you need further advice on creating a great office space or you want us to do the hard work for you, head to our contact page to get in touch.

     

    Posted in Knowledge Hub, Commercial Office Advice.
    Share

    Best sellers

  • Black Valoir Panel End Desk

    From £98.00
    Select options
  • Black Valoir Cantilever Desk

    From £108.00
    Select options
  • White Valoir Cantilever Desk

    From £108.00
    Select options
  • Black Valoir Deluxe Cantilever Desk

    From £156.00
    Select options
  • White Valoir Panel End Desk

    From £98.00
    Select options
  • Universal Desk Cable Tray

    From £36.00
    Select options
  • PreviousThe perfect office playlist: Office music habits survey
    NextA productive climate: Office working temperature FAQ

    Related Posts

    • Office planning - Essential office furniture
      01/07/2020

      Office planning – Essential office furniture

      What furniture does your office definitely have to have and how do you choose the right styles for your space? When it comes to planning your office, it isn’t just a case of counting up how many people you need to accommodate and ordering some desks. A lot goes into creating a functional, practical and …

    • Red Post Box
      02/11/2020

      Will COVID-19 affect my order?

      We're working hard to keep everything moving. Here's what you need to know about your order and Coronavirus The recent outbreak of Coronavirus is affecting many industries and individuals. We understand that you likely have some concerns about placing an order or about existing orders in light of the issues COVID-19 is having on some [...]
    • 12/10/2020

      Assembling office furniture – Top tips and common questions

      Got some office furniture to assemble but don’t know where to start or the best way to do it? Follow our tips to make sure everything goes smoothly. There’s nothing worse than finding the perfect piece of furniture to suit your style, space and needs only fr it to arrive and seem impossible to put [...]
    • Home Office
      22/04/2020

      Home office planning: The essential guide

      There's a lot more to home office planning than simply buying a desk. Everything about your space - from the layout to your chair - needs to work for you. Working from home is becoming the new normal for a lot of people and with increased workplace flexibility, it is likely to be a standard [...]
    Bluespot Furniture Direct
    Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram

    About

    Our products are built to last with long guarantees and are suitable for a wide range of environments.

    FSC
    ISO 9001 ISO 14001 Construct Online - Gold Membership

    Addresss

    Bluespot Furniture Ltd,
    Unit 500 Bretton Park Way,
    Dewsbury,
    West Yorkshire
    WF12 9BS

    Registered in England

    Company number 4338293

    VAT registration number:

    779 8196 49

    Contact Us

    0800 8044 760 help@bluespotfurniture.co.uk
    Help Knowledge Hub
    Privacy policy Terms and conditions Modern Slavery Policy

    © 2022 Bluespot Furniture Limited.

    Go to bluespot projects Go to bluespot furniture Go to bluespot kitchens
    By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.