OCCUPANCY PLANNING

FUNDAMENTALS

METRICS

GPS has established key terms and definitions to ensure consistency in measurement methods. This page shows the critical metrics used to measure our spaces and understand supply and demand performance. At this point, not all information listed is tracked in all locations. As our planning process become more standardized globally, the data availability will improve and allow for further automation.

Key Terms

A full list of Occupancy Planning terms is in the GPS Standards Glossary.

Glossary

Data Metrics


Capacity



How many people the building holds

Building Headcount, Occupancy Rate



How many people are assigned to the building

Traffic Count, Presence Rate, Activity Rate



Ways to measure how many people are using the building

  • Capacity

    WORKPOINT (WP)    X    SHARING RATIO    =    CAPACITY


    Workstations + Focus          1.7 ABW  

    Rooms + Offices = WP        1.2 FWE (PHK)

                                                 1 Legacy


    Capacity is a fixed reference point of roughly how many people could be allocated to a building. The capacity is recorded in the GPS data system. The capacity is based on the current layout and building use. If the furniture layout changes, the workpoint quantity and capacity need to be updated.


    • ABW (Activity Based Work) applies in a primarily unassigned environment, with a full ecosystem of spaces
    • FWE (Flexible Work Environment) applies in a primarily unassigned environment, a retrofit without the full balance of spaces
    • Legacy applies for a 1:1 assigned environment

    Capacity is not the same as Headcount, which is the number of people assigned to the building. The sharing ratio is different from the workstation ratio, see Programming.


  • Occupancy Rate

    BUILDING HEADCOUNT   /    CAPACITY    =    OCCUPANCY RATE


    Occupancy Rate is the percentage of people assigned to the building (building headcount) compared to the capacity. It's a way of understanding how the building is loaded. The inverse of occupancy is vacancy. Some vacancy is necessary to allow for growth and flexibility. In an unassigned environment, it's also important to understand the presence rate and activity rate.


  • Traffic Count

    ALL USERS ENTERING    —    ALL USERS EXITING     =    TRAFFIC COUNT


    Traffic is the total number of residents, non-residents, and guests at a location at one time. Anonymous sensors at entry thresholds count the number of entrances minus the number of exits to show how many people are in the location within a defined period. Understanding Traffic establishes a broad understanding of demand that includes public and secure space.


    All new projects should include threshold sensors to capture traffic.


  • Presence Rate

    RESIDENT PRESENCE COUNT   /    TOTAL HEADCOUNT    =    PRESENCE RATE


    Presence is the percentage of building residents who show up compared to the total number of building residents.


    This measures the secure space using badge data. Building resident presence measures how many people enter compared to how many are assigned to the building. Team presence measures how many people enter compared to the total number of people on the team. Because this info comes from badge data, it can be dimensionalized by organizational attributes (e.g. pipeline, job level), etc.


    In an unassigned environment, presence rate should influence how buildings are loaded.

  • Activity Rate

    ALL USER PRESENCE COUNT  /  CAPACITY  =  ACTIVITY


    Activity rate is the percentage of users (building residents, non-residents, and guests) who show up compared to the building's capacity.


    This provides insight into the overall supply vs. demand. The default method is to measure the secure space using badge data, which can be dimensionalized by employees vs. guests, resident vs. non-resident, organizational attributes (e.g. pipeline, job level), etc.


    If traffic data is available, it can be useful to also assess Traffic Average / Capacity.

  • Median vs. Peak

    When reviewing data reports, it's important to understand how demand is being measured. Median is the default method, but both median and peak values can be used for presence, traffic, and activity reporting.


    Median: The mid-point daily value for a specified time period. Medians provide insight into a "typical" day.


    Peak: Typically measured as the 95th percentile daily value across a specified time period. Peaks provide insight into the busiest days or upper threshold of demand.

Square Foot + Square Meter Measurements

There are different categories of how a building is measured, each with a different use case. For accuracy, it's important to be clear which is being used.

Usable Square Feet (USF) or Net Square Meters (NIA)



Use case: Occupancy planning and architectural programming. This can be applied to a leased site or an owned building.

There are regional nuances for how this is measured. Generally includes private tenant hallways, private restrooms, and columns, but excludes unusable areas (e.g., mechanical rooms, shafts, vertical circulation) or public restrooms, public circulation, and other shared areas.

Floorplan of Usable square feet and net square meters

Rentable SF / SM


Use case: Lease information and evaluation.

Includes the tenant's usable area and their proportionate share of common building areas such as lobbies, circulation, restrooms, and mechanical rooms. The number is determined by the landlord; measurement methods vary. Always use the number documented from the lease vs. measuring the floorplan.

Floorplan of rentable square feet

Gross SF / SM


Use case: Used least often. Typically only referred to for owned buildings or when a tenant has an entire building.

Includes everything, even unusable space between walls and vertical circulation.

Floorplan of entire building square feet and square meters