On-site surveys
Office Space Survey
Comprehensive on-site utilisation survey with analysis and reporting, spanning estate-wide trends to granular room-level insights for evidence-based space planning.
Office provision is often the most costly yet under-optimised part of the estate: across the sector, average utilisation is 15–20%. Our survey provides a direct, measured view of real workspace occupancy by building, department, day and time slot, so you can see exactly where space is unused and where demand concentrates.
We identify underused space, quantify surplus capacity and translate findings into an evidence base for improving estate efficiency: closing/consolidating buildings, ending expensive leases, repurposing offices for student use and avoiding unnecessary new build. Where desk booking tools exist, we compare this data with surveyed occupancy to expose unused bookings, supporting more informed policymaking around day-to-day operations. Because office estates are large and costly, even modest improvement can be monumental: raising average utilisation from 20% to 25% can equate to million-pound-plus annual savings through reduced maintenance, servicing and overhead.
Workspace change is politically difficult, but hard occupancy evidence gives leaders the credibility to act. A senior consultant presentation and concise executive summary report translate our findings into a clear roadmap for immediate decision-making and long-term strategy. Optional engagement with wider stakeholders (Estates, HR, Faculties) fosters shared ownership of outcomes, increasing buy-in and accelerating implementation.
Project timeline
- Book survey dates
- On-site route planning
- Surveyors conduct on-site survey
- Analysts process the data
- Results report Power BI format; accessible on Escentral's Datahub platform (no license required)
- Results presentation Optional
Testimonial
The main purpose of this project was to understand how effectively the University’s office spaces were being used, to inform future University-based decisions. Like many institutions in the sector, we’re exploring options to improve cost efficiency while maintaining strategic goals, and we needed clarity on the scale of opportunity within our office estate.
The survey itself ran very smoothly, with excellent communication and onsite management from Tash Savary, ensuring the project was delivered without issue and that accurate data was collected throughout. The resulting data dashboard and supporting analysis gave us a clear, visual picture of current use and future potential. Ben Moreland, Director of Escentral, presented the findings to senior management and offered knowledgeable insight into both the results and the wider context, helping us to clearly understand the opportunities and how we might take them forward.
This work has laid the groundwork for future decision-making and generated real interest at senior levels in how our office estate can better support our strategic goals. Escentral took on the bulk of what can be a very time-consuming task, delivered it professionally with minimal disruption, and provided high-quality findings that are now helping us to realise the opportunities our estate offers.
Testimonial
We’ve worked with Escentral on six space utilisation survey projects, and they consistently deliver fantastic results. They handled everything from start
to finish, collecting data from all our teaching spaces during core and evening hours. The analysis they provided, using a comprehensive Power BI
dashboard and presentations, has been key in helping us to understand our space usage and timetabling performance better.
With their insights and recommendations, we’re now taking steps to improve our space utilisation, confident that these changes will bring about significant improvements in the future. We highly recommend Escentral to any institution looking to make the most of their teaching spaces.
Testimonial
Escentral were pivotal in our recent audit of both teaching and office footprint through most of the estate. Both Ben and his team remained professional, efficient and knowledgeable in their approach during the survey period whilst also providing excellent after care support above and beyond the initial brief. I’d have no hesitation in highly recommending Escentral for all of your space auditing requirements.
Testimonial
The Escentral team were brilliant at planning and undertaking a comprehensive week-long survey across our office as well as teaching and study spaces. The team were expertly lead by Jody throughout the week so minimised any impact or issues that required the involvement of LBS staff.
The final report summarising findings and recommendations was similarly of a very high standard and together with a written report an accompanying video report was also included. The detail of the report has enabled The School to make informed decisions regarding optimising our space use during quieter periods and driving energy cost savings as well as assisting us in understanding our space use when planning future capital projects.
