If you are moving into a new office or taking on a commercial space that is not yet ready for your team, you may need an office fit out. But what does an office fit out actually include, and how much of the project can one company manage?
An office fit out takes an empty, basic or newly acquired commercial space and turns it into a practical, finished workplace. Depending on the building and your requirements, this can include space planning, interior design, partitions, ceilings, flooring, lighting, power, heating and cooling, office furniture, meeting rooms, reception areas and final installation.
At Acorn Works, we manage office fit out projects across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, coordinating the different elements needed to take a workplace from initial plans through to completion.
What is an office fit out?
An office fit out is the process of preparing the interior of a commercial property so it is ready for a business to use.
The starting point can vary considerably. One business may be moving into an almost empty space that requires new rooms, services and furniture. Another may be taking over an office where some elements are already in place but the layout and specification need to be adapted.
The purpose of the fit out is to create a workspace around the practical requirements of the organisation moving in.
That means considering much more than how the office looks. The project needs to account for how people move through the space, where teams work, the number and type of meeting rooms required, storage, power and data requirements, heating and cooling, lighting, acoustics, furniture and shared areas.
What does an office fit out include?
The exact scope depends on the property and what is already installed, but a complete office fit out can bring together the following elements.
Space planning and office interior design
Before installation begins, the layout needs to work.
Space planning considers how the available floor area can be used effectively, including the positioning of workstations, meeting rooms, collaborative areas, storage, circulation routes and shared facilities.
At Acorn Works, this can include 2D AutoCAD plans and 3D visualisation, allowing the proposed office to be reviewed before work begins.
Being able to see the layout at this stage provides an opportunity to make changes while they are still on the drawing board rather than after partitions, furniture and services have been installed.
Partition walls and internal layouts
Partitions can be used to divide an open commercial space into the different areas a business needs.
These might include:
- Private offices
- Meeting and conference rooms
- Quiet working areas
- Breakout spaces
- Storage
- Reception areas
- Specialist rooms
The appropriate partition system will depend on factors such as privacy, acoustics, fire requirements, appearance and the level of flexibility required from the finished workspace.
Glass partitioning can also be used where businesses want to divide spaces while retaining natural light and a more open feel.
Mechanical and electrical services
Mechanical and electrical services, often shortened to M&E, are an important part of many office fit outs.
Depending on the project, this can include:
- Lighting
- Power distribution
- Electrical installations
- Heating
- Ventilation
- Air conditioning
- Controls
- Power and data requirements
- Testing and commissioning
These elements need to be considered alongside the office layout.
For example, moving a meeting room or changing the number of workstations can affect where lighting, power, ventilation and other services are required.
Coordinating these elements as part of the wider fit out helps avoid treating building services as an afterthought.
Ceilings, flooring and finishes
The surfaces and finishes throughout an office have both practical and visual roles.
A fit out may include new flooring, suspended ceilings, decoration, wall finishes and other interior finishes selected around the requirements of each area.
Different spaces may need different solutions. A busy circulation area, for example, can have different flooring requirements from a meeting room or individual office.
Finishes can also help create consistency throughout the workplace and reflect the identity of the organisation occupying it.
Office lighting
Lighting can have a significant effect on how a completed workspace functions.
A fit out may involve replacing existing lighting, repositioning fittings to suit a new layout or introducing more efficient systems as part of wider electrical works.
The lighting requirements of an open-plan working area can differ from those of meeting rooms, reception spaces and breakout areas, so they should be considered as part of the overall design rather than separately.
Office furniture
Furniture is another important part of taking an office from an empty space to a working environment.
A complete furniture package can include:
- Desks and workstations
- Ergonomic office chairs
- Storage
- Meeting tables and seating
- Boardroom furniture
- Reception furniture
- Collaborative furniture
- Breakout-area furniture
- Bespoke pieces
Furniture selection should work with the space plan rather than being considered only after the building work has finished.
Acorn Works can help specify, supply and install office furniture as part of a complete fit out or as a separate project.
Meeting rooms and collaborative areas
Modern offices often need a mixture of spaces rather than rows of identical desks.
An office fit out can therefore include dedicated areas for meetings, private conversations, collaborative working, informal discussions and focused individual work.
The requirements will differ between organisations.
Some businesses may require several small meeting rooms, while others need a larger boardroom, training space or flexible areas that can be used in different ways.
Considering these requirements during the design stage helps ensure that the finished office reflects how the business actually operates.
Reception and client-facing spaces
The reception is often the first part of a workplace seen by customers, suppliers and visitors.
Fit out works can include reception counters, seating, lighting, flooring, signage, storage and the wider layout of the entrance area.
The aim should be to create a space that works practically for the people using it while remaining consistent with the rest of the interior.
Kitchens, staff areas and breakout spaces
An office fit out is not limited to desks and meeting rooms.
Depending on the building, it can also include kitchens, canteens, tea points, staff areas, washrooms and breakout spaces.
These facilities need to be incorporated into the overall design and can involve furniture, plumbing, electrical services, ventilation, flooring and specialist finishes.
What are Cat A and Cat B office fit outs?
You may come across the terms Cat A and Cat B when looking at commercial properties or planning a fit out.
A Cat A fit out generally provides the basic internal specification of the space. Depending on the building, this can include elements such as ceilings, lighting, flooring and mechanical and electrical services.
A Cat B fit out takes the property further and adapts it around the requirements of the business that will occupy it. This can include the internal layout, partitions, meeting rooms, furniture, finishes, kitchens, reception areas and other occupier-specific elements.
The exact specification of Cat A and Cat B space can differ between buildings and projects, so it is important to establish what is already included before planning the work required.
What is the difference between an office fit out and an office refurbishment?
The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but there is a useful distinction.
An office fit out usually involves taking an empty, basic or newly acquired commercial space and making it ready for the business moving in.
An office refurbishment updates or improves an existing workspace. That might involve changing the layout, replacing flooring or lighting, installing new furniture, improving meeting rooms or carrying out a much wider modernisation of an existing office.
There can be considerable overlap between the two, particularly on larger projects. The most important consideration is the starting condition of the building and what needs to be achieved.
Can an office fit out be completed while a business is operating?
In some circumstances, yes.
Where work is being carried out in an existing or partly occupied building, the programme can sometimes be phased so that different areas are completed at different times. Certain works may also be scheduled outside normal working hours where appropriate.
This needs to be considered early in the project because access, noise, services, safety and the sequence of different trades can all affect what is practical.
Where a business is moving into a new property, completing as much of the fit out as possible before occupation will normally simplify the process.
How long does an office fit out take?
There is no standard programme because every project is different.
The timescale can be affected by:
- The size and condition of the space
- The extent of the fit out
- The amount of design work required
- Mechanical and electrical requirements
- Bespoke furniture or specialist products
- Building access
- Required permissions or approvals
- The number of specialist trades involved
- Whether the premises are occupied during the work
A clear scope and coordinated programme at the beginning of the project can help reduce delays later.
Who manages an office fit out?
Office fit outs can involve a number of different specialists, from interior designers and furniture suppliers to electricians, HVAC contractors, decorators and installers.
Managing each element independently can make coordination more complicated, particularly where one part of the programme depends on another being completed first.
Acorn Works provides a single point of contact and can coordinate the different stages of an office fit out, from initial planning and design through to specialist works, furniture and installation.
This integrated approach also means that decisions made during the design stage can be considered alongside the practical requirements of delivering the finished workspace.
Seeing the office before work begins
One of the most useful parts of the design process is being able to visualise the proposed workspace before physical work begins.
Acorn Works uses AutoCAD plans and 3D visualisation to show layouts and key design elements in advance.
For Zatu Games in Norwich, Acorn Works produced detailed 3D renders and CGI walkthroughs as part of the design of a new office for more than 200 employees. The visualisations allowed the proposed workspace to be reviewed before the wider fit out progressed.
The completed project transformed a former data centre into a large commercial office incorporating open-plan working areas, collaborative spaces, furniture and other workplace facilities.
What should you consider before starting an office fit out?
Before committing to a final design, it is worth establishing:
- What is already included in the building?
- How many people need to use the space?
- How is the team likely to work in the future?
- What meeting and collaborative spaces are required?
- What furniture can be retained or reused?
- What power, data, heating, cooling and ventilation are needed?
- Are specialist areas required?
- Does work need to take place around an operating business?
- Are there lease, landlord or building requirements to consider?
- Who will coordinate the different contractors and suppliers?
Addressing these questions early gives the design and project team a clearer brief and helps ensure the finished workspace is based on what the business actually needs.
Office Fit Outs Across East Anglia
Based in Swaffham, Norfolk, Acorn Works designs and delivers office fit outs across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, with projects also undertaken further afield.
Our work can bring together office interior design, space planning, mechanical and electrical services, partitions, furniture and project management through one coordinated team.
From fitting out a newly acquired commercial property to creating a complete new workplace within an existing building, the scope is developed around the space and the requirements of the business using it.
Planning an Office Fit Out?
If you are considering a new office fit out, Acorn Works can help you understand what is required and plan the project from initial design through to installation.
Get in touch with our team to discuss your premises, requirements and timescales.