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Space numbering/accounting for flex seating, multiple occupancy and physical space chargeback all in

A common problem we run into with our clients is how to effectively split spaces in to double or triple occupancy while retaining the ability to account for the space as a single architectural unit. Let me show you an example:


On the right we have a single office, easy to account for, one occupancy, one obvious space unit. A one-to-one relationship space to occupant. On the left is a single office with multiple occupancy. A one-to-many relationship space to occupants.


This creates the question: how do we want to handle this? Ensuring the reports and Auto-CAD floor plans correctly display the one physical space, with the ability to have multiple occupants, and potentially, multiple departments.


Also consider this may not be a static one-to-many relationship. Meaning, if one of the occupants of the “multiple” office is removed, there is a need to report which one of the occupants is now vacant. This is required for Return to Office, as hot desk or flex seating strategies are more prevalent for right sizing the corporate portfolio and these space relationships must be maintained in real-time.


There are various methodologies for facility managers with space allocation. The first is accounting of total square footage, typically for chargeback purposes, you will need to account for the multiple occupant office to add up to the total physical space. This can be achieved by polylining the exterior of the office space, then simply dividing the space with a secondary polyline either 50-50 or 70-30, etc. For example, see white polyline through the middle of BLDG-FL-001-A and BLDG-FL-001-B in this figure:



Keeping with best practices for space/location conventions, this scenario is using a root location and identifying sub-spaces using a –X primer. Illustrated as such: 3 characters for Region/Bldg, 2 characters for floor, 3 characters for location, 2 characters for sub-location.


This enables Auto-CAD to perform all permutations of space and occupancy calculations for aggregation and hatching. Drawing the polygons to fill the space and using a set location convention are paramount.


This location convention will generate space reports, such as:

Location Area (sqft) SpaceType

BLG-FL-001 127 Multi-Office

BLG-FL-002 127 Office


And an Occupancy Report such as: (detailed to the sub-location)

Location PersCount OccupancyValue Vacancy Reserved

BLG-FL-001-A 0 1 0 1

BLG-FL-001-B 0 1 1 0

BLG-FL-002 1 1 0 0





Or an Occupancy Report such as: (detailed to the location)

Location PersCount OccupancyValue Vacancy Reserved

BLG-FL-001 0 2 1 1

BLG-FL-002 1 1 0 0


Either of these reports show the Occupancy Hatch like this:


I used bright colors for illustration purposes: Green=occupied, Red=vacant and Blue=Reserved. The addition of hatches for multiple space types could also be used to display Flex Seating, Hot Desk, Social Distance, etc.


If the total square footage of the office/building is not a concern, (i.e. your chargeback system is based on personnel occupancy rather than area), you can shape your workspaces however you want, for example:



Here we show specific desks as open or reserved within the sub-locations. Open sub-locations don’t roll up to the larger office locations and therefore don’t need to have a shared location number.


We recommend keeping the space numbering convention the same, so that when reviewing a report or reserving a space, it is obvious which desk’s locations are in a shared office.


Collectiveview has been assisting clients for 20 years and have provided MANY space allocation reports and floor plans using industry best practices for every client. Let us know how we can assist you and your need for space allocation reports and color-coded floor plans.

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