Brief history of office planning

Future trends in office accommodation

Space types

Case Studies: 1 Campus MLC | 2 NSW Police HQ

Implications of churn

In 2002 the Facility Management Association of Australia (FMA) completed a research project titled, FMA Office Churn Research - The Management of Physical Workplace Change.

The scope of the research included 5,115,918m2 and 286,702 full time equivalents (employees) across 132 of Australia's leading organisations. The study covered secondary and tertiary churn not primary churn (defined as relocation/major refurbishment) and compared facility type (office and non-office) and workspace type (open plan and cellular).

The cost of churn economy-wide in Australia per annum is AUS$3,579,800,000. As can be expected the key drivers of churn include:

• Organisation Restructure
• New Management
• Relocations
• Business Growth
• Staff Turnover
• Teaming
• Downsizing

Types of Churn

Level 1
Briefcase churn, - just moving your own "stuff", all equipment and furniture remain in the same location for the next person to use.

Level 2
Internal relocation, minor furniture relocations, minor data communications relocation.

Level 3
Major departmental churn, larger areas of furniture cabling and equipment relocation including full height walls.

Level 4
Complete redesign refit, or relocation to new premises.

If the organisation can accommodate workplace standards that can be utilised throughout the premises the only churn that needs to be implemented is Level 1. A very cost-effective way of relocating large number of staff to meet business changes.

Level 2 and 3 churn costs relate to the cost of systems furniture, Cost of Ownership can be calculated. Churn costing should be part of the original selection process.

Ie How long does it take to move six workstations from A to B = $.

• Some furniture may cost 5% more and be 50% cheaper to move/churn.
• If they are of equal cost then the cheaper selection is the one with better churn cost.
• Is the systems furniture a Mechano set or a Lego set? Too many pieces take a lot longer to move if you have to pull them all apart.

Data/Power and Communications Cabling

Churn costs in relation to re-routing cabling can be significant if they have to be pulled out of existing equipment and furniture then re-traced into the new location. Access floors are the most cost effective over the long term if consistent Level 2 and 3 churn is anticipated. Also systems furniture that allows drop in cabling rather than "laced" through the system will save significant $ in the long run.

<back to top>