Office Renovation - Need reccomendations on layout

[duffeyc34]

We are renovating our office and Ive been put in charge of designing the new space for the two CAD people. Does anyone have any reccomendations for the layout of a 22'x20' space? Im open to ideas about anything from desks, plan benches and monitor setups. Give me your ideal office layout!

[john.vellek]

Hi @duffeyc34,

If you can provide a plan of the room that would be most beneficial. It would indicate any glazing, door ways, paths (hall corridor), any obstructions (columns, pipes, etc).

What type of discipline? Do you need two or three monitors? Do you work off paper drawings as reference?

What kind of lighting? Do you need to involve ergonomics such as flexible height desks for height adjustment or even standing/sitting configurations?

[Anonymous]

Sit and stand desktops with adjustable monitor arms.

[duffeyc34]

@john.vellek

See attached PDF. I should note that the 15'-5" wall between the offices is being removed. To answer your questions, I am a CAD coordinator and mainly use AutoCAD MEP. Each work station willl have two monitors and we are trying to fit in 3 workstations within this space. Go to meeting are very frequent so having a large tv placed somehwere that a user could link to and sit in a call with a foreman/ project manager much like a conference call would be helpful to include within this space. Dual montiors per station along with a drafting table in front of you that holds 48"x36" plans - or two drafting tables to the left and right. I am open to any suggestions. We are an electrical contractor so being able to have arch drawings as well as electrical in front of you would be ideal. In reguards to being and electrical contractor, all the lighting will be adjusted based on layout. It would also be ideal to have stand and sit option.

[john.vellek]

Hi @duffeyc34,

Here is a simple sketch for you to consider. I suggest you use built-in counters to hold the plans so the worksurface can be continuous. Desks that can be elevated from sitting to standing height can be utilized and there is room for a team/conferencing area.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[GrantsPirate]

My recommendation is to talk to the two CAD people to get their ideas and a good idea of how they work, what they have now that is inadequate and what works, etc.  They are CAD people, ask them to draw something up with their ideas.

[gotphish001]

I second the adjustable monitor arms. With the arms coming off a wall instead of sitting on the desk it frees up so much more space. You can literally sit a plan right in front of you and put your keyboard right on top of it. 

We have two cad guys, but we have a set up similar to what john drew up.  We have a long maybe 16' counter with each end having a 4 ' L on it. Each station is in a corner.  Gives me lots of space. It's nice because if one of us has a question I can just look to my right and see the other guys screens. All be it they are decently far away from me, I can see them well enough to answer most questions just by him pointing at something on his screen with his finger. 

We both use the space differently though. He puts his drawings on the long side with his monitor in the corner. I have two screens so I moved them more onto the long side and I put my drawings on the short side. I'd say this is mostly because we both have different windows. I believe he can't see his screen unless his screen is way back in the corner because of glare. (No blinds allowed in our historical building) I have a similar issue but it happens if I put my screen directly in the corner. That might be something to ask the CAD guys if you have windows. It's super annoying trying to draw on a black background in model space with glare. Yes, I change the color, but you get so used to black that I sometimes think I'm in paperspace when I'm not. I always change the color back after the sun moves. Either that or the ghetto fix is to put a big piece of foam board in the window, but I'm against that as I like the window. My counterpart does this but he has two windows and only loses one at a time.

[gotphish001]

My next add to my workstation is a white board on the wall behind my work station. It need to be one that magnets work on. I have these magnets with clips on them. clip Magnets. My idea is that I can see two plans at once but not have them spread way out. My counter is pretty deep. I'll be able to put one plan on it flat and then I want to be able to clip a plan up on the white board. It's only a half wall so about a third of the hanging plan will still be laying on the counter, but with margins and empty space I will be able to most of it. I can always zip off a 11x17 print to use as a reference to look at too. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather do that than have to take my hands off the mouse and keyboard to flip through a set. I'd have the floor plan on the counter and maybe a schedule or elevation on the white board or that kind of thing.

[duffeyc34]

Thank you guys, all great suggestions. @john.vellek thank you for the sketch - its helping get the layout ideas flowing. Upon further converstaions its been determined we want to push the west wall out and get rid of that small closet in the top. Mainly because its wasted space right now and I believe we want to be able to fit a plotter in here now. I attached updated PDF of the open space. 

John, because we do have 2 other conference rooms Ive been told that any type of conference area as you has shown would not be approved unfortunately. I need ot find another way to utilize go-to meetings. 

@gotphish001, Also great ideas. I for one will make sure I utilize the white board and clip magnets for each station. As of right now I just tac Riser diagrams to the wall haha. Def not ideal way of doing it but moving foward white boards is definately way to go. As far as being able to see your neighbors screen, We wanted to have an open area as far as removing drop ceiling and opeing this area up, however we still want each station to have privacy. So some sort of 6'H wall is going to be utilized. 

Some questions I would also like to throw out is, what do you guys think about built in desks that are at pub height that way you can have choice of standing and sitting. 

Lastly, going back to layout. Since there is only one entrance and no windows. I was hoping to have my station (being the manager) the largest and preferably facing the door. Also It would ideal to have my office basically the "conference" room since Im the one doing most of the go-to meetings. Having four work stations as John layed out would be nice but ultimately three would be just fine. Let me know what you guys think. I have attached two PDFs of the space before and after. 

[john.vellek]

Hi@duffeyc34,

Here is another quick space plan for you.

I kept the plotting area at the top to minimize disruption when moving paper supplies in and out. It looks like there would be ample room for paper/media storage, a trimmer, and some layout space for assembling sets.

I show a sidelite near the door since there are no windows in the space.

I hope this continues the evolution of your design process. It looks like it should be a nice space for three CAD workstations.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.