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Design Process Types of Spaces Space Standards Planning Guides Pre-planning Planning Strategies Planning Approach Office Master Planning Office Planning Basics	Planning: Office Planning Guides: Planning Approach The general approach to planning The flow of planning starts from very general building concept development to very specific requirements that defines the needs and details of each area. It involves the following phases of development: Blocking and Layering Schematic Preliminary Final Blocking and Layering Blocking is a horizontal distribution of space on a given floor plan. Designers will explore multiple options to study the best approach to the use of space for movein as well as future. It illustrates: the total square feet requires by each department or unit in the form of rectangular block the external circulation from the elevator lobby or entrance of the building to various departments or units the adjacency requirements of each department or unit showing immediate adjacency desirable adjacency least or no adjacency the relationship of the unit with other building facilities that include public contact - adjacency with the elevator lobby or entrance deliveries of services and goods - storages, equipment, mail and distribution hygience facilities - restrooms building constrains and limitations the building code compliances in terms of egress and life safety the American Disability compliances around the building how to maximize the use of space and minimize waste on each floor the expansion methods over time and the locations of the expansion spaces if applicable Layering or commonly known as stacking is a vertical distribution of space. This is usually shown as a building section showing all the floors within a building and the vertical communications in the forms of elevators and stairs. It illustrates: vertical relationship of the departments or units to each other whether they are vertically above or below or a few floors away from each other types of physical communications between floors using various speed of elevators, or whether elevators transfer between floors are necessary, or whether stairs is more convenient
	Schematics Schematics is a breakdown of blockings to illustrate the program requirements of departments or units. Thess include personnel and group requirements showing the support and special use spaces. The space requirements are represented using very loose bubbles. The bubbles represent the size of the areas and the type of activities within the units. Those spaces without the bubbles represent the circulation flows. At this stage, the designer will explore the space utilizations of the space using multiple schemes. The schematics illustrates the following: the most compatible and efficient circulation around the building from the elevator or entry to various parts of the building using the external circulations the most efficient internal circulations within each department or unit that include both primary and secondary circulations the architectural concept of the building using geometries - rectangular, circular, angular or combination building modularity and how that relates to organization of private spaces the organizations of personnel within each unit showing the work groups, their personnel the personnel and work group adjacencies the group requirements that include support and special use areas and their relationships and adjacencies with personnel the organizations of work stations clusters in groups of four, six or eight in loose bubbles the light penetration into the interior spaces using types of space dividers and their orientations to the perimeters of the building
	Preliminaries This is the selection of the best schematic option and develop into the prelimary plans. It is the scale floor plans of the building that illustrate the specific furniture requirements of the users and the group spaces. The operational requirements and the adjacencies internally will be firmly established at this phase of design. Prior to the start of this planning, the work station standards should have been established. It illustrates: the furniture and equipment layout of the users and the group spaces the implementations of all personnel and group space standards showing the details of the space dividers, furniture and panel modules, hardware, components and accessories and whether they are private, semiprivate or open spaces the modularity of the private spaces with the window modularity the organization and orientations of work stations and their relationship to the splines if applicable the building electrical and communication entries with the furniture requirements through testing and verifying Final Planning The final planning work hand in hand with design development of the project and it is the final furniture layout after the development of the furniture, furnishing and equipment. This includes: furniture and system development through analysis and selection of a furniture program using: all new furniture partial new and reused furniture 3-dimensional space development using any of the following: elevations and sections perspectives obliques models digital walk-through custom design and casework details
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