Hermen Jan van Ree, Head of Research & Development at IPD Occupiers, charts progress on the IPD Space Code

IPD’s most recent annual survey of large occupier organisations identified that better use of office building space would be the best way of improving their operational efficiency.  And IPD data indicates that at least 75% of potential cost savings in a typical estate come from space optimisation.

But what is space?
Unfortunately this simple question does not have one simple answer, which is the reason why IPD has developed its Space Code.  The Code is a measurement framework for recording floorspace information, and allows the occupied space contained in one building to be compared on a like for like basis with another.  It has been designed with the ambitious aim of enabling space comparison between buildings anywhere in the world.

When IPD consulted with leading occupiers and key industry organisations we also found that existing space measurement standards did not provide enough detail for analysing space optimisation issues in depth.  So the Space Code breaks down the area within a building’s four walls much further than has previously been attempted.

The primary space measures identified by the IPD Space Code for international comparison and benchmarking are total floor area, internal floor area, usable floor area and work floor area.  The Code goes on to identify 12 secondary space measures, running from ‘external structure’ through to ‘enclosed workstations’.

Defining the space that building occupiers have at their disposal in a precise way is a crucial aspect of analysing the efficiency of property operation.  So the IPD Space Code has come hard on the heels of the IPD Cost Code, which provides a similarly standardised framework for recording the costs of occupying buildings.  Together these two systems provide the basis for comparing operational efficiency of buildings anywhere in the world.

With space optimisation now at the top of the real estate and facilities management agenda, the IPD Space Code is an essential tool for property executives.  It will make a crucial contribution to achieving clarity on building space use, and thus lay the foundation for creating space performance targets and then tracking progress in meeting them.  The data that can be produced will help to support decision making on space use and allocation, as well as allowing management to accurately and confidently communicate spatial improvements.  And it will also make possible benchmarking against other organisations.

Current economic conditions mean that space use efficiency is at a premium, while measuring environmental impacts is also of increased importance.  So the IPD Space Code has emerged at an ideal time, a view endorsed by Ian Fielder, CEO of the British Institute of Facilities Management: “Any protocol that gives clarity on space usage in the buildings we use and occupy and supports effective decision-making on space usage and allocation must be good for the profession and the economy,” he says.  “The BIFM welcomes another important aspect of a standardised measurement protocol in that true benchmarking will be made easier across borders, encouraging cost-effectiveness and best-practice.”

Since its launch in November 2008 – in association with Johnson Controls and EDF Energy - well over a thousand hard copies of the IPD Space Code have been distributed to past, present and prospective clients of IPD Occupiers.  In addition almost 1,500 digital versions of the Code have been downloaded by a wide range of organisations from over 40 countries around the world.

German and French translations are currently underway and a Portuguese summary document has already been issued.  Further promotion of the IPD Space Code has taken place in the Middle East, Asia and the United States.  And strategic partnerships are being developed with at least three different software providers, one of which is providing real estate management software to over 1,200 clients globally.

A FREE copy of the IPD Space Code can be downloaded at:  www.ipdoccupiers.com/spacecode

For further information please contact Herman Jan van Ree at:  hermen.van.ree@ipd.com