premises for 70% o f their work time, the balance is spent outside with customers, then the actual FTE hours load for technical em ployees are 70% o f the theoretical potential organisational people hours dem and load, estim ated in Step 3. By this stage, the overall results are significantly lower than the theoretical 100% space time budgets in traditional managem ent method.
There are two ways to arrive at the final output for dem and estimates o f the num ber o f workspaces to be provided. First, this can be achieved by allocation procedures and second by targeting utilisation levels o f different space types.
• Step 7: The allocation procedure will relate various functional w ork activities according to their space-time budgets. At this stage, allocation by assignm ent or by sharing are reviewed (see Section 8.2.3).
• Step 8; Given that the hours a facility is available for use is known, the current utilisation can be determined by a simple division o f the FTE hours dem and load over the space hours availability per week. Since a target utilisation m ust be achieved, the demand estimates can be backtracked to Step 3 o f this procedure. The number o f spaces can be deduced from the available space hours (See Section 6.4). A close parallel o f this type o f sim ulation was carried out using the space time projections calculation o f the Oxford Polytechnic study (UCERG, 1974). From the study, the future space requirem ents estimates were repeated for three different utilisation levels; 45%, 60% and 80%. The output for future requirem ent, was in aggregate o f total number o f seats required by various courses available (UCERG, 1974).
Generally, the results from applying the proposed space-time m anagem ent technique will most likely offer lower space requirem ent estimates compared to the original 1 ; 1 allocation estimates.
8.2.2 A richer understanding o f the diversity o f space types
When the nature o f the w ork processes involves a change from routine to non-routine the space-time method can predict the requirem ent o f relevant space types according to these changing patterns. Previous research o f activity functions in offices are abound (Fucigna, 1967; Schafer et al, 1988), but their outcom es have little
relationship to facility space utilisation and m anagem ent in essence. The proposed space-time is expected that the diversity o f space is created from the nature o f w ork activities, i.e. writing space, meeting space, com puter space etc. The list o f activity functions can easily be as many as thirty item s or more, but this does not mean that the diversity level should be provided in corresponding numbers.
The basic data requirements are types o f activity and their duration. In this research occupation types serve as proxy data for activity types. The fundamental relationship between work activities and space types is to consider them with time dim ension and locational preferences. Industry practices suggest a classification by num ber o f occupiers and the duration o f use. The form er should be either o f individual or group types and the latter in classes of; less than half-hour, half-hour to one and h alf hour, more than three hours, etc. (A ppendix 2; A8). Thus it is expected that diversity is guaranteed because short-term space use are significantly different in their am ount and type compared to long term space use. Similarly, individual workspaces are different from group spaces.
8.2.3 Improved allocation and reallocation o f space
When organisational changes continuously occur, the space-tim e niethod will support management decisions in making a better distribution o f spaces. This is expected from the flexibility o f allocation and reallocation for individual workspace and organisation facility level. Traditionally, individual workspace level offer less flexibility for reallocation due to the high level o f control o f the individual’s status on the assigned workspace. On the other hand, at the organisational building level, the normal demarcation o f usable space traditionally encom pass three m ain space type; prim ary spaces, ancillary and support, with the latter two types ranging between 5-20% o f the usable area distribution (see Table 4.1) are too limited.
In space-time method, the limitations imposed at these operating levels can be adjusted. A t individual workspace level, FTEs are reallocated according to their space-time budgets. For instance. Group A >70% has a 1:1 workspace assignment. Group B 41% -70% has a workspace sharing o f 2:1 and G roup C 20-40% has a sharing ratio o f 3:1 w hile Group D <20% may have a sharing o f 1:5, etc.
At organisational building level, the new dem arcation o f usable area has the benefits from space-time approach in translating physical space into tem poral space, where net usable area is treated as net usable space hours available to be deployed according to the required space policy which may change over time.
8.2.4 Im proving utilisation
The utilisation level is estim ated by the division o f FTE hours dem and load over the space hours supply availability (see Section 6.4) and as show n previously (see Section 8.2.1) in Step 8. Assum ing that there is a range o f acceptable utilisation target that the management has agreed upon (Figure 7.6), and if it is observed that the actual level deviates from the expected target, the space-time m ethod can restore the observed current utilisation to the desired or targeted level already set by the management. This desired utilisation varies according to different types o f space over different periods o f time.
8.2.4.1 Deriving the desired utilisation level
The importance o f having an appropriate target utilisation level is simply to serve as a guide to the m anagem ent o f space use over time. The m ain objective is not to select a utilisation level that is so low as to cause space wastage or a utilisation level that is so high as to cause discom fort to the users (UCERG, 1970b).
It is more appropriate to target utilisation w ithin a reasonable range between 40% - 80% (see Figure 7.6). This guideline can be used to m onitor the levels o f frequencies and occupancies. Each level o f space provision, be it individual workstation, room space, business unit sub-section, floor or building can have a different utilisation levels. Considering the fact that managem ent is w orking w ithin an unchanging spatial resource hours environm ent (in the short term), this will give flexibility to adjust the demand load or to reallocate spaces either 1 ) by im proving the frequency factor or 2) by improving the occupancy levels.
8.2.4.2 Im proving utilisation by frequency factors
The basic equations are presented for two types o f spaces; bookable and non-bookable spaces (see Section 6.4). The im plications are focused separately, w hether they are individuals, groups or departments. At individual level, the frequency or duration o f use will affect the num ber o f changes o f users a w orkspace can see. But in group spaces, the frequency o f use would impact on the overall allocation plans in the departments and organisations. When the frequency factor is 20% o f the work time, this would mean that 80% o f the time that the space is available will be empty or unused. In contrast, a frequency o f 70% would mean that over 30% o f the space available is effectively em pty or unused.
An im provem ent through the frequency factor is directly related to allocation policies. Therefore by referring to the previous example, this technique is m ore flexible in the first category o f users (those o f < 20% space-time budgets), since the probability that the space is empty or available is higher than that o f the second category. Additionally, what makes the estimates more efficient is related in proportion to the number o f tim es the w orkspaces are used. If space hours rem ain constant and occupancy has not changed, and utilisation is improved, then the duration o f use has
to be necessarily increased. This is particularly useful in m anaging assigned spaces to ensure optimum use o f allocated spaces. This is particularly useful in m anaging individual workspaces.
8.2.4.3 Improving utilisation by occupancy factor
The basic equation o f Section 6.4 fits certain industry types which regulate space utilisation by occupancy factors (already discussed in Section 7.3.3). Assuming that the number o f persons occupying a space corresponds directly to the level o f utilisation o f the space, when a space is occupied, it is effectively utilised. This notion applies in the traditional approach o f space m anagem ent, where workspaces are assumed utilised for 100% o f the time they are available because o f the assumption that there is 100% occupancy. An im provem ent through the occupancy level is particularly useful in m anaging groups’ spaces, m eeting areas, etc. where the management has to ensure that group sizes always m eet the planned capacity. The planned capacity is based on potential use and the group size refers to number o f FTEs. Therefore full occupancy occurs when group sizes approaches the planned capacity (see Section 6.4)
8.2.5 Developm ent of the space-tim e m anagem ent response system
In contrast to the traditional method o f m anagem ent which responds to problem situation using space per person ratio, the expert managem ent response system concerns with the restoration o f extreme levels o f utilisation, 0-40% and 80-100%, to a reasonable level o f say, 40-80 per cent. This is investigated as managem ent o f responses, as follows: a) How is extreme utilisation, based on inadequate space provisions moderated to a reasonable level? and b) How is extreme utilisation, based on problems o f inappropriate space types m oderated to a reasonable level? And the system operates in a specific managem ent process.