There is nothing out of this world about Space Utilization Analysis. It’s a methodical approach to maximizing your home or office space 

Real estate is typically the second largest company expense after the payroll yet it is often the most overlooked asset within the company. It thus pays to know how to best maximize your office space.
 
Space Utilization Analysis (SUA) sounds like a mouthful but is really just a fancy phrase for using analytical tools to determine space requirements with the ultimate objective of saving real estate costs. It is usually used in the workplace context and clients can include multinationals, non-profit organizations, institutes of higher learning, banks and even government departments.

Most organizations merely do a rough comparison of the effectiveness of the current and proposed space. And then the trial and error begins. On the other hand, the space utilization analyst approaches this in a more methodical fashion. What he does first of all is to do an inventory of the client’s space.

Computer Modeling

He then uses sophisticated computer modeling techniques to analyze the client’s existing and proposed space. These models are used to measure the client’s space against certain benchmarks and take into account the various departmental’s functions and their unique space requirements.

This technique allows the analyst to come up with various options virtually. This way the client makes an informed decision on what works best for them to cope with their growing space needs.

Virtual Master-Planning

By master-planning the space requirements of the company this way, they get to maximize all the spaces in their buildings, thus doing away with the need to rent or buy more buildings. They could even make choices between options such as renovation or new construction. The potential savings could come up to hundreds of thousands or even millions of ringgit.

One multinational client gushes about the benefit of SUA that has helped increased utilization of their office space by 30 per cent. This has reduced their real estate cost by RM1 million annually.

SUA techniques can even be simplified and adapted to be used in the home. Limited space in the home, if analyzed, can yield up unrealized and novel ways to fit in more of your stuff without sacrificing on the aesthetic aspects. For bigger homes, there is even more room to play with.

In Malaysia, SUA is not a popular concept yet. However, as prices of real estate trends up, more people might use it to keep costs down before they start renovating, buying, or renting new premises.