Office Space Density in the UK

Over the course of the last ten years London and the UK has seen a dramatic spike in working populations around its major cities. London is more crowded than ever before be it transportation systems, streets and especially in the office. Not only is tourism increasing, but so is the amount of people coming to the UK and London to work. It is now estimated around half of the near 30 million workers in the UK work in an office setting with a workday population of London nearing 6.5 million people. As a result, office spaces are become denser and compact as companies try to make the most of their space without paying for more office space. London is the most expensive city in the entire world in regards to office space averaging £160.5 per sq. ft. In 2009 the average work space density in the UK was 11.8 square meters. In 2013 it was calculated at 10.9 square meters. This trend can be seen occurring all over the world and in most sectors.

Density by Location

According to the BCO (British Council for Offices), 11 square meters is considered to be the minimum for desk space per person for people working in offices and this density may even be insufficient when taking into account room for furniture. Today the average workspace density for the UK is 10.9 square meters while globally it is 14 square meters. London surprisingly has a density of 11.3 square meters whereas the South West of the UK has the highest density at 8.6. The South East has a workspace density of 12.7. One would think London, because of its astronomical office space prices, would try to occupy this space with the highest possible density. One suggestion for this anomaly is that London, more than other areas of the UK, has been moving to a different type of space allocation giving more focus on larger meeting rooms and common areas.

Business Sectors

Many companies are ignoring these standards set by the BCO. Call centers employees see a meager 5–8 square meters per person and even this space has been seen to decrease to 0.5 square meters when crammed with cabinets, lockers, chairs, etc. On the other side, the stock exchange trade floor has seen a dramatic decrease in density over the years due to technology no longer needing traders to be packed into the chaotic room. The average space for secretaries is only 1.82 square meters which is far less than the standard.

On average the corporate sector was found to have the lowest workspace density at 13.1 square meters. Next is the technology sector at 12.3, followed by media and telecom at 10.5, and finally the financial and insurance sector at 9.7 square meters. Since the credit crunch we have seen a reduction in leasing by Financial and professional services sectors which has been balanced by an increase in Technology, media and telecommunications. It can be predicted that as the technology industry continues to rise we will see a further increase in density.

The Changing Workspace

Today we can see a dynamic shift in the layout of office spaces. We see a great variety of work settings with a smaller portion of the office budget allocated for fixed office spaces and more allocated to meeting rooms, common rooms and other collaborative areas. The move to do so, as a result, is making these fixed spaces denser. In the past, most office worked on a budget as so: 80% on fixed work spaces, 15% on meeting spaces, and 5% going to other spaces such as post rooms, computer rooms or the kitchen. The office is much more dynamic today. We see a growth in meeting spaces size and number for collaborative team settings and also space catering to mobile working which attributes to budgets being cut from fixed work spaces and causing them to become denser as a result.

It should be noted that the rate of this increasing density has been slowing over the years. Some experts believe a singularity is being approached; a point when personal workspaces will not be able to shrink further without dramatically effecting efficiency of the space. There is no telling if, when this point has been reached, if it will even matter do to the dynamic changes going through todays