Post-pandemic space planning

Planning the office space of the future

As organisations prepare for a safe return to the office after the Covid-19 lockdown, a new data driven space planning tool is there to help, as James Ward, associate director of architecture at Arup explains

Although we do not yet know the full extent of the coronavirus’ long term effects, the global pandemic has already had a highly disruptive impact on business and the workplace. For commercial property owners, developers and tenants alike, the crisis has caused a high degree of market uncertainty. The pandemic has accelerated a range of pre-existing trends in the commercial property sector, including those regarding health and wellbeing, activity-based working, flexibility and the drive for better space utilisation. Sustainability, smart buildings and the digital workplace are an integral part of this transformation, reshaping what will be the office space of the future.

As the crisis appears to abate in the UK and organisations attempt to resume normal working practices, safety is of paramount concern. Employers and employees alike will have many questions, the most important being, “Is our office safe to work in”?

There is little certainty around transmission mechanisms for the virus but one principle that seems to be widely accepted is that maintaining physical distance between people is a good thing. Indeed, addressing the UK science and technology select committee, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, stressed that distancing measures must continue to be upheld at this stage of the virus. This inevitably raises questions, not only around how best to occupy desks in the office, but also how people’s movements around the office can be managed in line with government guidelines.

As governments around the world encourage people to return to workplaces retail spaces or any other venue where and city centres to mitigate the economic people congregate. Bringing together repercussions of the pandemic, questions space planning functionality with intelliaround the occupation of particular offices gent modelling and simulation of people’s are going to become increasingly pertinent. movements, Arup is using the software to Moreover, certain sectors of the world help multinational organisations around economy, such as the performing arts and the world with their return to the office. hospitality, are still effective- Space Explorer allows ly in lockdown and need architects to replicate an assistance in managing their existing layout quickly and transition back to viability. test this against several sce-

Whilst it is impossible to narios that can optimise the entirely eliminate the risk of use of desk space, or re-plan transmission, organisations them to maximise occupawill have an obligation to tion. Layout adjustments are reduce risk to the lowest optimised quickly using reasonably practicable level. generative techniques which Consequently, for organisa- can establish the maximum tions, an increasingly pertinent question is what the optimum number of people ‘‘ Space Explorer occupation possible within government regulations. The tools also allow the who can safely occupy an can help clients location of business units existing space is. As many explore what’s and teams on the floor to be businesses and organisations are returning in limited numbers, today these possible, safe, optimal and tested. The teams’ locations can be optimised using iterative mathematical optimiquestions can be addressed practical and sation against an adjacent with pragmatic approaches developed by their in-house FM teams. However, in planhelp with the rebuilding of model developed alongside the client. This way, potential issues of physical dayning to ramp up tomorrow, confidence to-day iterations between particularly as government with staff teams can be mitigated. guidance evolves, the situation is likely to become more complex and risks potentially higher. Once the layout has been established, Space Explorer can seamlessly harness the power ’’ of Arup’s MassMotion pedestrian Space Explorer modelling software, exporting data Data driven tools such as Arup’s Space directly into the tool in order to set up Explorer hold the key to surmounting simulations that model people’s movethese key challenges. The service can be ments within the space. used to reshape office space, laboratories, MassMotion has been developed in-

house and, based on pioneering research into the science of human movement, the software provides technical analysis of the flow of people through physical spaces. The latest version of MassMotion comes with additional, experimental behavioural modes, that enable testing of physical distancing scenarios in a dynamic condition.

MassMotion simulations are run with a number of input parameters agreed with the client, such as the frequency of trips to the washrooms, tea points and printers, but also with factors such as background rates of inter-floor travel and stair usage.

The simulations map proximity where breaches of social distancing rules are unavoidable, for example along circulation routes and in lobbies. Whilst not all of these can be mitigated, often improvements can be made by reconfiguring furniture layout and introducing one-way systems.

Since the simulation parameters are identical in each iteration, it becomes clear which interventions make improvements and which are detrimental when com-

2m distancing pared against the existing layout. Example output staff to return to their offices.

Most significantly, the softof the movement To test the impact of reducing ware highlights workspaces analysis from Space Explorer highlighting social distancing rules, we have that have disproportionately hotspots run some simulations on a typihigh exposure. Whilst these are cal floor of Arup’s own London often adjacent to aisles, it can sometimes office. At 100% capacity, our simulation be difficult to spot issues. A blanket found that employees spent 21 minutes approach of avoiding aisle seats entirely on average in close contact with another can often be unnecessary and result in a person across a seven-and-a-half-hour significant loss of capacity. day. At 30% capacity, typical with 2m

Typically, these workspaces can be social distancing, they spent just two removed, or the furniture in that area minutes. Whilst Arup is not making locally re-planned to mitigate the risk assumptions about the health risks of the more effectively. The seamless integration decreased exposure, the differences of Space Explorer and MassMotion allows nonetheless are significant. this to happen very quickly, permitting Ultimately, institutions worldwide that multiple layouts to be tested and for dif- are still paying for office space will face a ferent options to be presented to the client. commercial imperative to densify their

Such analysis can help the senior man- occupation. Clearly, considerably more agement of organisations engage with people will be working from home from their colleagues around the measures now on and some companies can, and taken to ensure their workplace is as safe have already, reduced their required as it can possibly be. In conjunction with office space. Space Explorer can provide this, other interventions, such as modifi- valuable insights as organisations cations to air condition systems, attempt to chart a safe path back to norincreased cleaning regimes, and touch mal operations. free devices, can help build confidence of Workplace safety obviously has many other elements beyond physical distancing, such as the use of masks for example, 1m distancing and the implications of the virus outbreak continue to develop the more that scientists learn. For now, Space Explorer can help clients explore what’s possible, safe, optimal and practical and help with the rebuilding of confidence with staff. It is expected that the tool and techniques developed during the pandemic will have enduring uses too, giving clients insight into how their staff may interact and help model the office space of the future.