Senplex - complex

Progress on the development of space efficiency  for Senplex has been positive and looks to create massive change in the environment and culture of the office.

Analysis of the current work environment:  
The space utilized by people is heavily paper driven due to unfamiliarity with working with large screens.  As screen technology becomes cheaper, larger screens can be used which will begin to reduce the use of large paper use.  interviews with both administrative staff and project management staff indicates a strong desire to move toward paperless systems.  

It was interesting to note that those people who dealt with "fires" on a daily basis - project managers and department supervisors - when dealing with calls from the field - all found that accessing paper information from specifications, cut sheets and large drawing rolls found it easier to access the information in paper form.  Until a system is created for ease of access to electronic information faster than opening up to a paper page exists,  much of the office culture will remain in paper-state.

My opinion is that a focused IT study on how to access large format sheets, specs and cut sheets is imperative. As well as training on the use of these data access methods is the key to shrinking space requirements.  My guess is that it may require the use of at least 2 large screens in the work areas for supervisors and managers who need to provide fast answers to field inquiries.

That said, the new layouts are producing effeciencies in the realm of about 140-150 sf/person.  Senplex is getting lean and mean.

As with any space plan excercise, the unit prototype work station must be generated in order to investiage a fit of multiples of these within a larger space. 

The initial layouts of space planning were predicated on two types of workstations:  type-A and type B.

Type A:  8.5' x 7'  C-shaped station includes two tables of 30" depth as the main desk and the desk to the rear.  there is also a side return which is 24" deep and 3.5' long.  Add that to the 30" deep front and rear, and the result is the 8.5' deep station.    This should accomodate large plan review and has enough depth for books and keyboard work on the main desk.  

Type B:  6' x 7'    L-shaped station includes a 30" deep front table for a computer and a 24" deep side return.  The overall depth of the station is 7' so that it will fit against the side of a Type A worksation.  The Type B can accomodate 2 file cabinets.  Rolling cabinets are recommeded as they give the user the ability to move to another station.  This level of flexibility allows for faster adjustments to department dynamics as people need to move or relocate their work areas to work on specific projects.


The premise of modern office layouts follow certain values:  
a)  high communication - often noisy, being withing earshot of other people allows for unexpected and proactive conversations about developing situations.  Speed and reaction time is paramount in all businesses, and this value of high communication and earshot is critical for the speed formula to work.

b)  flexibility and mobility - often groups will need to shift their collaborative posture based on the project at hand.  Which means that having mobile access to information or the ability to take work where the work is needed is crucial to competitive speed in the workplace.   The ability to move files, desks, and workstations is a good use of applying the latest mobile technology as well as allowing for business adaptability.  

c)  quiet spaces - there are some areas that need to be quite for focus, and noise privacy.  The conventional way is to use insualted drywall to create a series of small conference rooms for private meetings.    An alternative approach is to use acuoustic felt curtains on a track or suspended.   Here is a website to a felt manufacturer called FilzFelt.  Naturally all ideas that I present are with the mindset that many of the applications can be manufactured and installed with Senplex's sheet metal working and installation capabilities capabilities.   


d)  creating your own destiny - Senplex has the unique position to create a lot of its own products and provide installation for much of it.  Although it would be simple for a designer or architect to specify imported material, the shipping costs and installation would add a premium of about 17-20% to the actual retail cost of the goods.  This should be compared to the cost of labor of having workers self produce products in the Senplex factory to create items that can be re-used, repurposed, reparied, and added on to as needs arise.    And made from raw materials that are already in stock or made from extras from other projects.



Finally in the realm of ideas and options, I prepared 3 drafts of layout for the upper floor and 1 for the lower floor.   The upper floor drafts use the leg of the mezzanine as a long, enclosed space which the Contracting department as located, and then switched with the growing servicing department.  The ground floor also has some offices for the teams that deploy on a daily basis.  Open space and cage storage is planned for them in these areas.

You will aslo notice there are 48 parking stalls fit onto the site.  Site measurements need verification prior to  the next phase of schematic design, but this is a pasic indicator for fit.  Stalls are assumed at 9' x 18'.

 Please see the images of these schemes in the gallery below.

you can also download the documents here:

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senplex_prelim_spaceplanning.pdf
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The International building code looms large in making assumptions about the improvements to an existing building - and the initial phase of research is underway.  Attached is my code analysis document along with 2 scenarios.  

The first scenario is the option of a mixed occupancy of F-1 (moderate hazard factory use) and B (business).  The F-1 occupancy requires fire sprinklers to be installed.  The benefit of this is that there would be no fire rating requirements for the construction of the office section or creating any fire rated walls and enclosures between the two commupancies.

The scond scenario is the option of a mixed occupancy of F-2 (light hazard factory use) and B (business) occupancies.  The F-2 occupancy does not require fire sprinklers.  However, it requires a 2-hr fire rating between the F-2 occupancy and the B occupancy.  This would mean that  floors, walls and ceilings between the factory and the offices would need to be rated 2-hrs and doors and window openings would need to be rated at 1.5 hours.

Discussion:  In our earlier discussions, we understand that firesprinklers would need to go in order to protect property and reduce fire insruance premiums... the question would be timing.   We proceeded with the understanding at that time to go with a scenario where the sprinklers would be added later.  This would mean moving toward fire rated assemblies which has a premium of almost 2x's conventioanl construction for windows and doors, and probably at least a 50% increase in construction cost of conventional walls.   For the magnitude of our scale (enclosing the mezzanine with fire walls and wrapping the underside of the mezzanine floor, the premium cost would be roughly $187k  (this assumes 15,600 sf (wall surface and underside of part of mezzanine)  x 12/sf  for quadruple gyp drywall) as a premium over reqular drywall installed.   

the decision will be up to Senplex, but I am leaning toward putting in the sprinkers right away and going for the F-1 /B  occupancy.​

Overall, the space planning and code requirements are showing that the company campus can relocate to the new site.  Layout of the factory side will need to be done in the next phase.

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