Too much, too little or the wrong space? The hidden cost of poor space decisions

Property professionals have traditionally recognised that making good property decisions is part art and part science. We have to make decisions about the future without ever having perfect information.

Flexible and hybrid working, changing working practices and evolving expectations of the workplace have made those decisions more complex. The number of people using a building can vary significantly from day to day, while the types of space people need --- and what they expect the workplace to provide --- are also changing.

Getting these decisions wrong can be expensive. Too much space can mean paying for capacity that remains unused for years. Too little can constrain an organisation and leave it trying to acquire additional space when suitable property may be difficult or expensive to obtain. And having the wrong type of space can mean that an estate appears underutilised while users still struggle to find the space they actually need.

These decisions occur over different timescales. In the long term, organisations decide how much space to own or lease. In the medium term, they decide how that space should be configured and fitted out. In the short term, they decide how it should be allocated between teams and users.

Better information cannot predict the future or replace professional judgement. It can, however, provide a much better understanding of what space an organisation has, what it is intended for and how it is actually being used.

This session explores how better evidence can support decisions across these different timescales, helping organisations balance cost, flexibility and risk when deciding how much space they need, what kind of space they need and how best to use it.