CUESTIONARIOS DE CHEQUEOS (CHECK LIST)

The basic definition for utilisation o f any facility over time is the actual use o f the facility over the maxim um possible use (see Section 6.4). One can interpret this in two ways. On one hand, across the industry, the practical utilisation rates for certain space types such as ancillary and support spaces were estimated at 15% and 30% o f the total usable space respectively (Eley & M armot, 1995:64-65) and interdepartmental circulation was estimated at an additional 10 per cent (Ellwood, 1993). These examples em phasises the prevailing measures o f utilisation seen from the supply side.

On the other hand, in the space-time managem ent method, utilisation is defined by the number o f people using the space in relation to its potential capacity and for what proportion o f the available time (Eley & M armot, 1995:63). In Figure 7.5, the utilisation factor box shows the derivation o f the utilisation rate from the organisations' people hours demand load divided by the availability o f space hours in the facility space. This is similar to calibrating utilisation rates by m ultiplying the frequency factor with the occupancy factor and dividing by 100 per cent (National Audit Office, 1996:11). This perspective serves as a better basis because there is a sequence o f steps between actual time utilisation and actual capacity utilisation by which to arrive at a com prehensive utilisation level. This approach has been used in most o f the UAS studies m entioned in the beginning o f this chapter.

The two m ajor attributes o f the utilisation variable are occupancy and frequency. The former is operationalised as levels group size and the latter as duration o f use. For example, in the study o f general teaching activity, the proportion o f available tim e when a space is actually in use reflects as frequency, while the proportion o f the space occupied when in use is the occupancy (Raw linson, 1984:25). These are im portant concepts because from capacity utilisation, could indicate unused seats or space wastage which could be used to accom m odate more people, while from time utilisation, could indicate unused time where more meetings or activities could occur (Doidge, 1972; Bullock, 1974:70).

In recent office studies, other concepts o f "space/tim e” (Chadwick, 1993) have emerged. Chadwick proposed the use o f the notion o f static and dynam ic occupancy ratios. This is based on the num ber o f people reporting to a specific area, divided by the number o f workplaces provided (Chadwick, 1993:22). However, this measure does not clearly demonstrate the time utilisation element; rather the essence goes back to the simple occupancy ratio o f number o f people over num ber o f places. However, the “'function/tim e/space” framework developed by Apgar (1995) has explicitly considered the time element, by consistently relating space to business use in terms o f both function and time (at portfolio level). This has been clearly em phasised when “part time employees who share desks increase the availability o f individual workspaces...early and late shifts increase in facility capacity...and global organisations can take advantage o f multiple tim e horizons to consolidate certain service operations” (Apgar. 1995:164).

The data for utilisation o f spaces is collected through survey methods or by observation studies. In practice, m ost managem ent consultants w ould undertake the

engaged, so as to produce a dynamic space use pattern for each type o f space over a period o f time (Alexei M armot Associates, 1993; Stansall, 1993). The utilisation rates are represented on a linear scale, ranging from 0-100 per cent. This may not represent a realistic range o f possibilities, but theoretically, values approaching 0% utilisation are indicative o f an extreme space surplus or o f very high contingencies. Values closer to 100% utilisation are indicative o f unreasonably high usage and acute space shortages. A recent report claimed that a typical office is utilised by around 12% (Varcoe, 1995:11), which in some cases could be categorised as grossly under­ utilised, because teaching spaces are considered to be wasteful even at 25-30 per cent (Rawlinson, 1984). Some authors have suggested a reasonable theoretical limit o f 20% -80% (Doidge. 1972), or a smaller range o f 60% -80% (Rawlinson. 1984).

In the office sector, some authors have claim ed that buildings are used for 5% o f the time for which they are available (Lloyd. 1993:45), with reported overall utilisation o f

12% and 15% (Varcoe, 1995; Chadwick. 1993; D igital, 1993). However, most authors tend to report the occupancy rates either by functional occupation, or by organisational activity types, addressing the workspace level. For example, the occupancy rates for project managers, m anagem ent consultants, field engineers and sales representatives are 30% (Becker. 1993b:40). By organisational activity types, for example in a major telecom m unications organisation, occupancy rates have been reported to be 90% (Lawson. 1991). O therwise, it appears that no authoritative study has yet published best practice utilisation rates by space types, although a proxy benchmark is traced to a private consultant (Thom son, 1997), who recom m ended a space-Lise intensification to be o f a reasonable target at 1:1.5 (ratio o f w orkspace to persons). This can be interpreted as allow ing 50% more occupants to use the space allocated, thus increasing the intensity o f space use.

In this study, a general and practical scale is proposed, which should be adjusted and calibrated to recognise the specific needs o f a particular organisation. Zero - forty per cent (0%-40%) generally represents under-to-low utilisation, forty to sixty per cent (40-60%) is low-to-reasonable utilisation, sixty to eighty per cent (60-80%) represents reasonable-to-intensive utilisation, and finally eighty to one hundred per cent (80- 100%) represents intensive-to-overutilisation, as shown in Figure 7.6. In the practical m anagem ent o f space use, on one hand organisations may provide spaces at a low utilisation level o f between 20-30% to ensure constant availability. On the other hand, organisations may provide space to an intense utilisation level o f over 80%. to ensure that the use factor and the regulation o f space use, through some innovative m anagem ent techniques, are carried out satisfactorily. This will be dealt with in Section 7.3. A reasonable utilisation target for space types across the facility for any type o f organisation can best be derived by piloting prototypes over a period o f several months and carrying out post-occupancy evaluation satisfaction surveys to rate the performance o f the space (Apgar, 1993; Chadwick, 1993).

Figure 7.6: Linear scale for utilisation rates

20%