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Taxonomy

Space planning

The right amount and type of space to work

Real estate decisions are expensive and hard to reverse. Taxonomy matches space types to the activities and preferences of your people and compares scenarios with floor areas and cost estimates before anyone signs. The result is a space programme: input for the programme of requirements and the design.

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Who is it for?

Corporate Real Estate, Design and Facilities teams planning, redesigning or optimizing office space.

  • Corporate Real Estate
  • Design
  • Facilities

What is it for?

Challenges it solves

  • Inefficient use of office space
  • High real estate costs with low utilization
  • Poor alignment between space and business needs
  • Limited insight into future space requirements
  • Difficulty justifying workplace investments with data
  • Overreliance on architects or third parties for basic space scenarios
  • Difficulty adapting layouts to hybrid and flexible work models

When to use it

  • Renewing, renegotiating or approaching the end of a lease
  • Moving, relocating or expanding to a new office
  • Reducing or consolidating the workplace footprint
  • Shifting to hybrid or activity-based working
  • Responding to rising real estate or facilities costs
  • Setting sustainability or carbon-reduction targets
  • Preparing a workplace redesign or investment business

Playing loads the video from YouTube.

Office Space Planning & Workplace Design | Workplaced Taxonomy Workplaced Taxonomy helps organizations plan office spaces around employee activities, preferences, and workplace needs. Compare space planning scenarios, test space types, and create offices that better support how people work.

Case study

~$1.2M in annual expansion costs avoided

Making better use of the existing workplace

1,200-person technology company

Challenge
The company was preparing to lease additional office space to support its growing workforce.
What we found
Utilization data showed that significant capacity was still available within the existing footprint and identified where space could be used more effectively.
Impact
The organization accommodated projected growth without expanding its footprint, avoiding approximately $1.2M per year in additional real estate costs.

Case study

10% smaller footprint · ~$630K potential annual savings

Designing the right workplace before a lease renewal

1,000-person organization

Challenge
The organization needed to define its future workplace requirements before committing to its next lease.
What we did
We modeled workforce needs, attendance, schedules and different space mixes to determine the right footprint and configuration.
Impact
The recommended plan reduced the required footprint from 14,000 m² to 12,600 m², while maintaining the required capacity and mix of spaces, reducing potential annual real estate costs by approximately $630K.

Key features

  • Workforce & Assumption-Based Planning

    Build plans from workforce data, assumptions, or a combination of both.

  • Integrated Data Inputs

    Bring in workforce data, Occupancy measurements and recommended schedules from Balance.

  • Custom Space Types

    Choose from 90+ space types or define your own requirements.

  • Space Demand & Mix Optimization

    Calculate how much space you need and which space types to provide.

  • Scenario Simulation & Comparison

    Test headcounts, schedules, locations, cultural orientations and space strategies side by side.

  • Team & Location Planning

    Break down desks and space requirements by team, department, business unit, floor or office.

  • Portfolio Planning & Global Standards

    Plan consistently across locations using RICS, BOMA, IPMS, NEN 2580 and PCA.

  • Business & Workplace Value Impact

    See how each scenario affects space, cost, enablement and workplace value.

  • Ready-to-Build Space Plans

    Generate quantities, areas, zoning, equipment and detailed space requirements.

FAQs

  • What is Taxonomy?

    Taxonomy determines how much space an organization needs, which types of spaces it needs and how they should be allocated.

  • Does Taxonomy require employee data?

    No. Plans can be built using workforce data, assumptions or a combination of both.

  • What data can Taxonomy use?

    It can incorporate reported workforce data, Occupancy measurements and recommended schedules from Balance.

  • How does Taxonomy determine space requirements?

    It combines workforce size, activities, schedules, occupancy and planning assumptions to calculate demand and space mix.

  • Can space types be customized?

    Yes. Organizations can choose from more than 90 space types or define their own.

  • Can space be planned by team or business unit?

    Yes. Desks and other requirements can be broken down by team, department, business unit, floor or office.

  • Does Taxonomy support global space planning standards?

    Yes. Portfolio planning can use standards including RICS, BOMA, IPMS, NEN 2580 and PCA.

  • Can different workplace scenarios be simulated?

    Yes. Headcounts, schedules, locations, cultural orientations and space strategies can be tested and compared.

  • What impacts can Taxonomy compare?

    Scenarios can be compared based on space requirements, real estate cost, enablement and workplace value.

  • What does the final space plan include?

    Quantities, areas, zoning, equipment and detailed space requirements ready to inform design.

  • Does Taxonomy replace architects or designers?

    No. Taxonomy provides the evidence, strategy and requirements that inform the design process.

See other solutions

Start with the space decision you need to make

In your request, tell us which building, location or teams it concerns and what data you already have. In a 45-minute conversation we discuss what Taxonomy can deliver from it. You receive a reply within one working day and a short written summary after the conversation.

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