This is part of a larger project delivered in four phases inside a live building. The overall strategy, phasing and programme are on the parent case study: Sleepmax corporate office fit-out. What follows is specific to the open workspace.
The brief for this area
Ninety-two people, a floor plate with glazing on two elevations, and a headcount plan that assumed growth. The client's own starting sketch had the cabins along the windows, which is what almost every office in India does and is the single most expensive mistake available on a floor plate of this shape.
- 6,800 sq ft of workspace across two of the project's four zones.
- 92 workstations at handover, with the grid set out to take 104 without re-planning.
- Glazing on the north and west elevations; the deepest desk sits 14 m from the nearest window.
- Six glass cabins, four huddle rooms and a pantry to be accommodated within the same area.
- Built around live occupancy, with staff working in the adjacent zones throughout.
The constraints
| Constraint | What it ruled out | What we did instead |
|---|---|---|
| Daylight depth — 14 m to the deepest desk | Cabins on the window line | All six cabins on the internal edge, fully glazed, with glass to the ceiling line |
| 92 people on one floor plate | An untreated open ceiling | 45% absorptive ceiling area plus hanging baffles over the densest rows |
| Growth to 104 without re-planning | Bespoke desk sizes fitted to the current headcount | A 1,500 mm module on shared benches, set out on a grid that extends |
| Occupied building | A single continuous programme | Two separate zones, each finished and handed back before the next began |
| West glazing — afternoon solar gain | Clear glass with no treatment | 5% openness solar screens on the west elevation, manual on the north |
Design and build under one accountable roof
What we did
- Move every cabin off the windowSix glass cabins relocated to the internal edge of the plate, fully glazed with clerestory glass above the door line. Measured illuminance at the deepest desk rose from roughly 180 lux to over 500 — the difference between a desk people avoid and a desk people choose.
- Set a desk module that can grow1,500 mm wide positions on 750 mm deep shared benches, in runs of six and eight, with 1,200 mm circulation between rows. The grid extends to 104 positions without moving a single power spine or floor box.
- Treat the ceiling, not the desksScreens between desks do very little for noise and a great deal for the impression of noise. Absorption belongs overhead: 45% of the ceiling area is absorptive, with hanging baffles concentrated over the two densest runs.
- Build the support spaces into the same areaFour huddle rooms for two to four people, sized at 60–80 sq ft, sit between the cabin line and the desks. They absorb the short calls that otherwise happen at a desk, which is the main source of open-plan complaints.
- Run power in a spine, not in the floorA cable spine along each bench run, fed from floor boxes at the ends. Adding a position is a matter of clipping in a module rather than opening the screed.
- Handle the west elevation5% openness solar screens on the west glazing to manage afternoon gain and glare on screens, manual roller blinds on the north where the light is stable and useful all day.
Materials and specification
| Element | Specification | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Workstations | 1,500 × 750 mm positions on shared benches, 25 mm compact laminate tops, steel legs | A module that extends rather than a bespoke layout that has to be redrawn at 104 heads |
| Cabins | Full-height glazed, 10 mm toughened, clerestory glass above the door line, 35 dB | Cabins that transmit light; 48 dB is reserved for the boardroom, where it is actually needed |
| Huddle rooms | 60–80 sq ft, acoustic glass to the corridor, absorptive rear wall | Short calls leave the open floor, which is the main open-plan complaint |
| Ceiling | Mineral-fibre acoustic tile over 45% of the area, exposed services elsewhere, hanging baffles over dense runs | Overhead absorption does what desk screens are wrongly credited with doing |
| Flooring | Carpet tile, 5 mm cushion back, in two tones to mark circulation | Footfall absorption and a legible route through the plate without signage |
| Power and data | Bench cable spine fed from end floor boxes; no per-desk floor penetration | Adding a desk is a clip-in, not a screed opening |
| Solar control | 5% openness solar screens on the west, manual rollers on the north | West glazing drives afternoon screen glare; north light is stable and worth keeping |
| Lighting | 4000 K linear suspended over bench runs, daylight-linked dimming on the perimeter two rows | The perimeter rows do not need full output for most of the working day |
Density — the numbers
| Metric | This project | Typical Mumbai benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace area | 6,800 sq ft | — |
| Workstations at handover | 92 | — |
| Area per person, all-in | 74 sq ft | 70–90 sq ft for a standard corporate floor |
| Desk width | 1,500 mm | 1,200–1,500 mm |
| Circulation between rows | 1,200 mm | 1,000–1,200 mm |
| Planned capacity without re-planning | 104 | — |
| Absorptive ceiling area | 45% | 30–50% for open plan |
Check your own headcount against your floor plate with the space per employee calculator or the workstation count calculator.
The outcome
The measurable result is daylight. Illuminance at the deepest workstation rose from roughly 180 lux with the client's original cabin layout to over 500 lux with the cabins moved inboard — without adding a single light fitting. The perimeter two rows now run on daylight-linked dimming for most of the working day.
The practical result is that the floor took 92 people at 74 sq ft each with four huddle rooms and a pantry inside the same area, and the grid will take another twelve positions without a re-plan or a screed opening.
We had drawn the cabins along the windows because that is what our last office looked like. Nobody had ever told us what it was costing the people behind them.
Facilities Manager, Sleepmax
What we would highlight
- Cabins on the internal edge, always. A perimeter cabin takes daylight from everyone behind it and gives it to one person who mostly is not there.
- Absorption goes overhead. Desk screens are a visual device. Ceiling absorption and baffles are what actually control an open floor.
- Huddle rooms are noise control. Four small rooms removed most of the short calls from the open floor and cost less than treating the floor for them.
- Set out a grid, not a layout. A 1,500 mm module on a bench spine grows by clipping in. A bespoke layout has to be redrawn.
- Measure the lux. A meter costs very little and turns an argument about cabin position into a number.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
Where should glass cabins go on an open floor plate?+
On the internal edge, not the window line. A perimeter cabin blocks daylight from every desk behind it for the benefit of one person who is frequently elsewhere. Moving six cabins inboard on this project raised illuminance at the deepest workstation from roughly 180 lux to over 500 without adding a light fitting.
How much space does an open workspace need per person?+
This floor works at 74 sq ft per person all-in — that is workstation, circulation, huddle rooms, pantry and support space divided by 92 people. The usual Mumbai corporate range is 70–90 sq ft. Below about 65 sq ft, circulation and meeting provision start to fail rather than the desks.
Do desk screens reduce noise in an open office?+
Far less than people expect. Screens change how a floor looks and how private a desk feels, but the absorption that controls an open floor is overhead. On this project 45% of the ceiling area is absorptive with hanging baffles over the two densest bench runs, and four huddle rooms take short calls off the floor entirely.
Can an open plan be designed to grow?+
Yes, by setting out a module rather than a layout. This floor uses 1,500 mm positions on shared benches fed by a cable spine from end floor boxes. Twelve additional desks can be added by clipping modules onto the existing spine, with no screed opening and no re-planning.
How was this built with staff still working?+
The workspace was delivered as two of the project's four independent zones, each finished, commissioned and handed back fully functional before the next began, with sealed dust barriers between live and active areas and noisy work outside business hours. The full four-zone strategy is on the Sleepmax office case study.