Designing and Evolving Workplaces: The Connection Between Interior Design and Occupancy Planning
Discovering the field of occupancy planning changed my entire career trajectory.
Like many interior design students, I thought I knew exactly where my degree would take me. My plan was to land a junior designer role at a big commercial firm, gain experience designing workplace interiors, and eventually work my way up to leading a design studio. What I didn’t realize was that there was an entire field where my design training could be applied in a completely different way: shaping how workplaces function long after the design was complete.
At that point in my career, occupancy planning was completely unknown to me. I didn’t realize it could be a path for someone with my background, or that it shared so many of the same skills as interior design. Both focus on how people experience space and how workplaces function, yet they step in at different phases of the overall lifecycle.
Read more: Workplace Lifecycle
This article is for students and professionals in interior design who want to understand that difference. If you’ve ever wondered what happens to a workplace after the designers move on, or if you’re curious about alternative paths in the field, occupancy planning is worth exploring.
Interior Designers and Occupancy Planners often intersect in designing and maintaining workplace environments. Let’s take a moment to recap their responsibilities within the context of the workplace.
For the context of this article, the focus will center on Interior Designers and their expertise in designing corporate workplace interiors.
Where Interior Design Fits in the Workplace Lifecycle
Interior designers are responsible for the initial design and detailing of the workplace environment.
Their focus is on creating spaces that are functional, accessible, and aligned with the client’s vision. They ensure that:
Design solutions are tailored to their clients’ vision, preferences, and needs
Spatial layouts are optimized, maximizing the use of available square footage
Design solutions adhere to building codes and regulations to ensure that spaces are safe and accessible
Furniture, fixtures, and materials are functional, durable, and cohesive
An interior designer may consider things like:
How can workstations be arranged to maximize access to natural light for as many employees as possible?
Does this walkway meet the minimum clearance requirements?
Will these materials perform well in high-traffic areas?
Where Occupancy Planning Fits in the Workplace Lifecycle
Occupancy planners step in after the workplace is built and stay involved for as long as the organization occupies that space.
Their job is to ensure the workplace adapts as the company grows and changes. They ensure that:
Everyone has a place to work
Teams that need to work together are near each other, referred to as an adjacency requirement
There are enough meeting rooms and communal areas to support onsite collaboration
Workspace data is accurately reflected in a CAFM system
Read more: What does an Occupancy Planner Do?
An occupancy planner may consider things like:
Will the Digital Marketing team have enough space to grow next year?
Should the Market Research team be closer to the Innovation team?
What happens when Content Creation hire 30 new employees this year?
Where the Roles Overlap
While occupancy planning and interior design may seem like distinct fields, there are important overlaps and differences between these two professions that are worth exploring:
Occupancy planners and interior designers share some foundational skills and knowledge:
Both understand spatial relationships and how to read/create floor plans
Both consider how people move through and use space
Both need to balance aesthetics with functionality
Both must comply with building codes and accessibility requirements
Both contribute to creating workplaces that support employees and business goals, just at different stages of the lifecycle.
The Big Picture
Interior designers set the stage while occupancy planners keep the play running smoothly.
If you’re drawn to the spatial problem-solving side of design but want to focus on how workplaces evolve over time, occupancy planning could be a natural fit. It’s a career path that’s still largely unknown to design students, but one that’s becoming increasingly important as companies rethink their workplaces in a hybrid, fast-changing world.
