FMJ.CO.UK INTERVIEW FOCUS
JUNE 2022 41
occupancy is down to the simple fact that
many organisations today have embraced
hybrid working models,” explains Raj
Krishnamurthy, Freespace’s CEO.
“People have been given more
flexibility in their work. In a world where
videoconferencing and remote working has
become normal, asynchronised operations
have proven not just workable but, in many
ways, successful.”
FOUNDING FREESPACE
Krishnamurthy isn’t shy about showing
his passion for using technology to create
futureproofed, value-based solutions.
He founded Freespace in 2015 at a time
when new ‘agile’ working techniques
were evolving with a mission to organise
the world’s workspaces to make them as
e icient as possible. This need has only
been significantly expedited following the
pandemic.
To date, Freespace has deployed its
enterprise technologies in more than 130
cities around the world, helping its clients
to optimise their real estate strategies
through the provision of hybrid-working
solutions that engage employees, create
safe and hygienic environments, inform
o ice designs and support the drive to net
zero.
“The steady state of the o ice prepandemic
was a buzzing, almost
hyperactive work environment which was
dependent upon synchronous events,
synchronous presence, synchronous
behaviour. This is no longer the case,” he
continues.
“The acceptance of new working
patterns has given everybody a newfound
freedom to work where they want and
how they want; to move the dial between
independent and collaborative working as
needed.”
Indeed, it is a shi that has changed the
entire equation for what equals a successful
workplace.
O ices are no longer simply the central
hub of productivity. Employees now
frequent the workplace for a variety
of di erent reasons, including for
collaborative opportunities, socialising
opportunities, and to work in an
environment which stimulates greater
productivity and is free from distractions
in quiet spaces, while being an invaluable
asset for sustaining corporate culture.
“Before COVID-19, headcount and
amenity ratios drove demand, while testfits,
space plans and lease negotiations
drove capacity,” Krishnamurthy explains.
“Occupancy planning was static,
which made the math straightforward:
multiplication, ratios and percentages
with a little geometry thrown in for good
measure.
“However, the pandemic has created
two new variables: individual employee
preferences and time. With teams
having more say on when and how
much time they spend in the o ice,
and what activities they do while
there, organisations should forecast
requirements on a daily basis to
consistently make the best use of the
space that they have available.”
DYNAMIC CAPACITY
PLANNING
What
Krishnamurthy
advocates in
this arena
is dynamic
capacity
planning.
We’ve all seen
how workplace
demand has
become more
dynamic. No longer
do employees simply
expect a desk to work at.
They expect a variety of space
options, be it that dedicated desk, quiet
areas, relaxation zones, standing desks,
collaborative spaces or private meeting
rooms.
“You can see this in daily variation
in demand,” Krishnamurthy a irms.
“Freespace’s data has already shown a
huge discrepancy in the number of people
in o ices between Tuesday and Thursday
compared to the eerily quiet Fridays.
Equally, while typical occupancy might
be 20-40 per cent lower than it was prepandemic,
the desired use of collaborative
spaces has actually gone up.”
To meet changing needs, o ices need
changing spaces.
With dynamic capacity planning,
organisations assess capacity (space
quantity, space typology and standards,
asset, tool and services availability and
flexibility variables) against demand (team
space requirements based on a complex
analysis of individual employee needs and
preferences for activity-based working,
time variables, and team performance
goals). In doing so, they can identify
opportunities where spaces can be
changed to best service its users
at all hours of the day.
The steady state of the o ce
pre-pandemic was a buzzing,
almost hyperactive work environment
“Let’s consider a company
with 5,000 employees,”
Krishnamurthy states.
“Most commercial buildings
accommodate somewhere
between 200 and 500 people
places per floor, so such a company
would more than likely be operating
across multiple levels – say 10 floors.
“Where hybrid working models typically
see occupancy levels at 40 per cent,
suddenly there is an opportunity to change
capacity based on demand. If only 2,000
people are coming in, I can look to cater to
their needs on five floors, perhaps.
“The key is recognising that demand
for spaces will change at di erent points.
Mondays might see more people coming
in to get their head down and require quiet
spaces. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
which was dependent upon
synchronous events, synchronous
presence, synchronous behaviour.
This is no longer the case,”