{"id":39306,"date":"2025-08-04T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T12:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eptura.com\/?p=39306"},"modified":"2025-08-03T02:34:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T06:34:47","slug":"smarter-space-planning-starts-with-understanding-utilization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eptura.com\/discover-more\/blog\/smarter-space-planning-starts-with-understanding-utilization\/","title":{"rendered":"Smarter space planning starts with understanding utilization"},"content":{"rendered":"

Workplace leaders are under growing pressure to get more from their space. Rising costs, evolving hybrid policies, and shifting team dynamics have made space planning more complex, and more business-critical, than ever.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Key takeaways<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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  • Effective space planning requires understanding utilization:<\/span><\/b> Optimizing space utilization is crucial as businesses plan to increase in-office days. Traditional metrics like space density have dropped significantly, while employee satisfaction has become more important.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Data-driven decision making is essential:<\/span><\/b> Eptura’s space planning software turns floor plans into actionable data sources, enabling organizations to make informed decisions. By incorporating real-time data, workspace planning tools help benchmark current layouts and forecast the impact of changes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Space planning software streamlines stakeholder buy-in and implementation:<\/span><\/b> The platform facilitates stakeholder input and comparison of scenarios, speeding up decision cycles. The software also enables space planners to manage and execute changes, including assigning seating and tracking progress, all from the same environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    With <\/span>34% of businesses<\/span><\/a> planning to increase in-office days this year, optimizing space utilization while improving the employee experience has become a top priority. Yet, many facility teams still rely on static floor plans, legacy tools, or siloed spreadsheets. Others may not have any planning tools at all. Without a centralized view of space usage and the flexibility to model changes before making them, it becomes nearly impossible to answer questions like:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    • Are we using our space efficiently, and how much space do we need?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • What\u2019s the right seating ratio to support our hybrid work policy?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • What happens if we reconfigure a department or add more hoteling desks?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • How do we plan for growth or contraction without disrupting the day-to-day?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      These aren\u2019t theoretical concerns. According to CBRE\u2019s 2024\u20132025 Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights, traditional metrics like <\/span>space density have <\/span><\/a>dropped by 67%<\/span> in the past four years, while employee satisfaction has surged by 75% in importance.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      How Eptura helps organizations design smarter workspaces<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

      Leaders aren\u2019t just being asked to save square footage \u2014 they\u2019re expected to create environments that are flexible, engaging, and effective, often with the same or fewer resources.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      The hybrid model adds even more complexity. With <\/span>92% of companies<\/span><\/a> now operating in a hybrid model, space planners must account for fluctuating occupancy, collaborative hubs, and dynamic seating assignments. And although some organizations plan to reduce office square footage in 2025, <\/span>77% are investing<\/span><\/a> in technologies like digital maps, wayfinding tools, and occupancy sensors to get more value from the space they keep.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      In short: space isn\u2019t necessarily expanding, but expectations are.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Visualize new layouts before making any changes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

      Instead of relying on printed plans or disconnected tools, you can use space planning software to explore layout changes virtually. Shift workstations, redesign team zones, or test out a new meeting room strategy, all within a live planning environment. Space planning tools are typically visual and interactive, so you can test multiple floor plan scenarios to get a clearer sense of how a layout will function before you implement changes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      In a recent discussion about modern workplace needs, a leader from Cushman and Wakefield \u2014 one of <\/span>Eptura\u2019s 2024 Partners of the Year<\/span><\/a> \u2014 put it simply,<\/span> \u201cThe floor plan within a lot of the tools that Eptura provides is the core data set. Without that floor plan, the data is kind of floating. It doesn’t have a home.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n