Map activity before assigning desks
Write down the tasks people perform, how often teams overlap and when visitors arrive. A desk count alone will not reveal the need for private calls, project tables or storage.
Make the routes legible
Sketch the path from entry to reception, work areas, meeting settings and shared support. Test the layout with furniture drawn to scale, doors in use and accessible routes considered.
Balance density with choice
Compare a focused-work setting with the busiest collaborative setting. Where they meet, think about sound, sightlines and transitions rather than using one open area for every task.
Translate values into behaviours
Ask what the business wants people to experience: clarity, openness, craft, energy or calm. Connect these words to planning and material decisions rather than applying them only as slogans.
Take this into your brief.
- Record attendance patterns before fixing seat numbers.
- Mark quiet work, conversations and visitor movement separately.
- Test the layout with the people who will use it.
Write down one priority, one constraint and one question you still need to answer. Review them beside the plan or material sample before agreeing the next design decision.