So, you are out looking for new office space rental or maybe you are renegotiating your office lease and want to make sure your space is as productive as possible. Here are a few of the current trends in office space planning:

• High panel cubicles are out. Benches or open work areas are in.
• Headphones have become the new office walls.
• Areas for collaboration and huddle areas are encouraging team work.
• Break rooms are open and central to the work space and located along windows, becoming gathering places.
• Office hoteling is creating Agile Workplaces that allows multiple employees to share workspaces on an as needed basis.
• The use of 3rd party outsourced office space is on the rise.
• Home officing, in conjunction with the Agile Workplace,  is creating happier and more productive employees.
• Management is moving out of their offices and into the open area.
• Internal offices and conference rooms are moving off the window line to the interior walls to allow the natural light from exterior windows to permeate the work space.
• Stand up workstations are becoming more popular for some areas to increase productivity.

The result is that office space requirements per person are dropping from over 200 square feet per person down to as low as 100 square feet per person. A major shift is occurring in the workplace The concept of work is shifting from the workplace as pieces of real estate to the office workplace as a facilitating bundle of services. Work is no longer a place, but a productive activity. Productivity is becoming the measure over the number of hours worked. Many of these office space planning trends are a result of this shift.