Buildings & estates


Building layout design strategies to optimise organisational performance & elevate user satisfaction.

We advise owners, asset managers and design teams, demonstrating how the spatial layout of buildings interacts with functional programming to influence user behaviour, operational effectiveness and investment return.

Acting across a wide range of sectors – from retail stores, museums and galleries to research departments, parliamentary offices and passenger terminals – we put people at the heart of the design process, helping to create places that truly work for their occupants.

Anna Rose
Architectural & urban planner
Director (Consulting)

+44 20 7400 1320
a.rose@spacesyntax.com

Selected projects

Our clients ask us...

Where are people currently moving & interacting?

How can an existing building be redesigned to improve user behaviour?

Will the proposed designs support interaction and collaboration?

Is the distribution of functions currently aligned with the spatial potential of the building layout?

How is existing user behaviour affected by spatial layout & functional programming?

What is the best spatial layout for a new building?

Are routes & spaces sufficiently sized for anticipated use patterns?

Where is the optimal location for each building function?

How should the location of a building affect its future design?

Where is the optimal location for vertical circulation?

Which design proposal will best support organisational culture?

What operational strategies should be considered to optimise the human performance of the building?

Services

Appraisal & benchmarking

User behaviour analysis We survey existing patterns of movement and interaction, recording current user flows, congestion hotspots and underused areas. We cross-match this with sales, safety and other building performance data.

Spatial layout modelling We evaluate the spatial layout of buildings, using advanced modelling techniques to explain existing user behaviours and reveal potentials for improvement. We benchmark spatial layouts against international exemplars.

Strategic design

Design development We work throughout the design process from initial strategy to detailed space-planning. We analyse proposed designs to forecast how people are likely to move through them, testing and refining options.

Functional performance We identify the locations that are best suited to specific uses, ensuring that activities are in the places that best support them. We use targeted spatial layout design to enhance functional performance.

Performance forecasting

User behaviour We generate data-driven insights on future user experience patterns. We forecast space-use patterns, flow densities, ease of wayfinding and human/object interactions.

Spatial layout We demonstrate how proposed spatial layout designs will support individual user needs and deliver operational objectives. We provide comparative appraisals to assist in client selection.


Anna Rose
Architectural & urban planner
Director (Consulting)

+44 20 7400 1320
a.rose@spacesyntax.com