SPACE PLANNING: Introduction

Space planning is an inherently complex process. For this reason, a series of

planning exercises, starting with very small spaces and building to larger spaces with
more complex program requirements, is provided as the primary technique in the
development of space planning skills.

Space planning is not a simple process involving a single category of information. Rather,
it is a complex dovetailing of several processes involving many categories of information
related to the organization and construction of buildings. Such processes range from
program analysis and use of building code principles to sustainable design principles and
the development of desired spatial qualities.
SPACE PLANNING: Introduction
The great majority of professional space planning work lies within existing structures
rather than in the interior planning of new buildings still in their planning and design
phases.

Interior space planning for buildings still on the drawing board requires some experience
in the design of structures and building envelopes and therefore demands additional
knowledge and skill on the part of the space planner.

Space planning solutions involve satisfying program criteria on a priority basis where the
issues at the top of the list must be solved but where some of the issues near the bottom
might be solved only partially, if at all. In its simplest terms, space planning almost always
involves compromises, where you look for good and workable solutions rather than
“correct” or “perfect” ones.
SPACE PLANNING: Introduction
Identifying and satisfying high-priority or major planning criteria is part of the learning
experience presented here, but the best tools to assess quality in space planning
solutions are personal exchange and critique with others.
Planning Methodology
Describes the phase of the space planning process that begins when the planning
problem is presented to you (with or without a program) and ends when physical
planning commences, usually with bubble diagrams or block plans.

In some professional circles, this is called the pre-design process—meaning all the
necessary steps of data gathering, research, analysis, and interpretation before actual
planning.

For many in the design fields, “planning methodology” and “programming” are
synonymous, although some would argue that the charting and diagramming described
here as part of planning methodology fall outside the bounds of programming and are
part of the design process.

It is dealt with in a concise manner so as to give full attention to the more elusive
planning and design-related parts of the process.
The Synthesis Gap
Among professionals working in the field, a generally accepted process or sequence of
tasks occurs from the point at which the planner begins to work on a project to the point
at which project analysis is complete and the physical planning process begins.

Despite many variations in technique or terminology that planners may apply, the basic
process of creating a design program consists of the next eight steps, presented here in
an extremely abbreviated form, using a typical corporate or institutional setting for this
instance.
The Synthesis Gap
1. Interview
a. Executive level (organizational overview)
b. Managerial level (departmental function)
c. Operations level (process and equipment detail)

2. Observe (existing or similar facilities)

a. Assisted observation
b. Unobtrusive observation
c. Inventory of existing furniture and equipment (when it is to be reused)

3. Establish architectural parameters

a. Acquire complete base plan data (including mechanical and electrical services)
b. Compile contextual data (architectural, historical, social)
c. Research environmental and code constraints
d. Complete basic site inventory (sun angles, breeze directions, and rainfall amounts)
The Synthesis Gap
4. Organize collected data (the first-phase program)
a. Place data in sequential format most useful for planning
b. Summarize confirmed quantitative factors (square footage, FF+E (furniture, fixtures
and equipment) count, equipment sizes, etc.)
c. Record first thoughts on conceptual planning approach

5. Research the unknowns

a. Gather detailed information on process and equipment
b. Gather case study information on similar facilities
c. Integrate researched data with first-phase program
The Synthesis Gap
6. Analyze the data
a. Discover planning affinities (working interrelationships, public/private zoning,
special acoustic needs, etc.)
b. Discover scheduling affinities (maximize use of space)
c. Identify planning or architectural relationships (site, environmental, structural,
mechanical, sustainability, and electrical conditions)

7. Interpret and diagram the data (the complete program)

a. Define the functional problems in planning terms
b. Establish a basic conceptual approach (in terms of human/social image/aesthetic,
and sustainability goals)
c. Prepare relationship or adjacency diagrams (for client and designer visualization)
The Synthesis Gap
8. Summarize the data (the finished document)
a. Finalize project concepts—state the problem
b. Outline and tally basic budget issues
c. Prepare a package for client approval to serve as the designer’s manual for space
planning

The word “creative” in this context must be seen in its broadest sense, in which
functional, aesthetic, and technical issues must be addressed and resolved.

The heart of the problem-solving task in space planning occurs in making the transition
from the analytical pre-design phase of the project to the creative design solution phase.
The Design Program
In space planning terms, design programs are written documents that qualify and
quantify the clients’ or the users’ needs for a given project. In addition, most design
programs are accompanied by adjacency or relationship diagrams that often express
physical planning relationships more articulately than verbal descriptions.

Interviews
When planning projects are small and groups are tightly managed, it may be
necessary to interview only one person: a proprietor, manager, or director. As projects
increase in size and/or complexity, the number of people who must be interviewed
increases correspondingly.

Generally, it is advisable to give the set of questions to the interviewees in advance of the
interview, to better prepare them to respond in an organized manner and (when
employees are involved) to lessen their chance of approaching the interview session with
apprehension or anxiety.
The Design Program
Observation
Observing existing facilities to see and understand operational and equipment
related processes is often an integral part of the interview process. Typically, a manager,
senior partner, or department head will take you on a tour of the entire facility or the
portion of the facility for which he or she is responsible. In many cases, this kind of
guided walk-through is adequate to the situation.

It is not unusual to plan a project in which a facility or operation for observation does not
exist. In this case, it is advisable to visit and observe facilities having similar functions or
operations.

The observation process also allows you to see how the existing spaces relate to the
surrounding environment. For example, do high levels of glare or heat gain in some
spaces make workers feel uncomfortable? Do some people feel cold quite often? Are
employees opening the windows?
The Design Program
Establishing Environmental and Architectural Parameters
Ideally, the basic architectural constraints and parameters of a given project
should be established during the programming phase so that you can consider the
relationships between client needs and the qualities of physical space from the outset.

Here are the basic requirements:

1. A base floor plan(s), at a scale large enough to be useful, and accompanied by enough
data about mechanical and electrical services so that plumbing constraints; heating,
ventilating, and air-conditioning; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
delivery systems, and primary electrical access points are known
The Design Program
2. Contextual data concerning the basics of architectural, historical, and social factors and
of environmental factors, such as sun angles, directional breezes and rainwater amounts

3. Building and zoning code requirements in enough detail to avoid basic code violations
in general space allocations

Study NBCP:
CHAPTER 7 - CLASSFICATION AND GENERAL REQUIREMENT OF ALL BUILDINGS BY
USE OR OCCUPANCY

1. Occupancy Classified
2. Change in Use
3. Mixed Occupancyy
4. Location on Property
The Design Program
5. Allowable Floor Areas
6. Allowable Floor Area Increases
7. Maximum Height of Buildings
8. Minimum Requirements for Group A dwellings
9. Requirements for Other Group Occupancies

CHAPTER 8- LIGHT AND VENTELATION

1. General Requirements of Light and Ventilation

2. Measurement of Site Occupancy
3. Percentage of Site Occupancy
4. Size and Dimensions of Courts
5. Ceiling Heights
6. Size and Dimension of Rooms
7. Air Space Requirements in Determining the Size of Rooms
The Design Program
8. Window Openings
9. Vent Shafts
10. Ventilation Skylights
11. Artificial Ventilation

CHAPTER 9 – SANITATION

1. General Requirements
2. Water Supply System
3. Wastewater Disposal System
4. Storm Drainage System
5. Pest and Vermin Control
6. Noise Pollution Control
7. Pipe Materials
In some cases, the contextual factors,
particularly those related to the
human and social environment, play
a major role in determining the
conceptual approach to a project. In
these instances, significant data
gathering and research of the critical
contextual factors should become
part of the programming process.

In many cases, a simple site analysis

drawing, such as the one shown in
Illustration, is completed early in the
process to serve as a reminder of
some of the environmental and
contextual factors that will shape the
design.