Managing and allocating workspace is a constant challenge for both public and private organizations. This challenge exists because organizations must meet functional space demands using limited resources, while business dynamics drive change in demand in the dimensions of space types, quantity and utility consumption. Space demands typically change incrementally, while space capacity changes in large blocks, like the addition of a floor or new building to the portfolio. It is important to use data-driven strategies and tactical methods to smoothly align blocks of space change with incremental headcount changes and space allocations.

Office usage rates have historically averaged only 50 percent⁵, so strategic approaches to consolidate and rightsize resources can lead to tremendous energy efficiency and cost savings. According to the National Science and Technology Council, if current trends continue, by 2025 buildings worldwide will be the largest consumer of global energy, more than the transportation and industry sectors combined.⁶

Today’s architects, designers, facilities and real estate professionals, and workplace consultants must consider multiple factors such as space availability, fitness for function, and energy costs in order to determine the best way to forecast and allocate workspace and support knowledge workers. Another issue is today’s increasingly flexible and home-based workforce, which changes the frequency and pattern of a building’s use. If you don’t understand exactly what patterns influence how the space is being used, you can’t be confident that your lease renewals or capital programs will benefit your organization as intended. Similarly, without shared information about strategic space planning, energy conservation teams may not meet their cost recovery objectives. If energy conservation actions are performed out of sequence with rightsizing, the initial cost of an enterprise-wide change to more energy-efficient lighting could outweigh the intended long-term savings—if the space portfolio is downsized after the lighting retrofit is purchased. With the right type of overarching data visibility and the ability to drill down into the information, you can begin to rightsize your portfolio at the right time, reducing wasted space, energy and maintenance.