Space / Space Inventory

Occupiable/Non-Occupiable Rooms (Concept)

Occupiable rooms are rooms that can be assigned to and house personnel. Occupiable rooms include offices, cubicles, workstations, reception desks, and open-plan areas.

Non-occupiable rooms are rooms that personnel are not assigned to. Clear examples are any vertical penetration area and most service areas, such as primary circulation (hallways, public corridors, and lobbies), and building support areas, such as mechanical closets, kitchenettes, and bathrooms. These service areas provide essential services for the building, and would require extensive renovation to convert to occupiable space.

Other types of service area, such as secondary circulation, meeting rooms, and lunch rooms could be classified as occupiable or non-occupiable, depending on whether you want to indicate the room's current use or its potential use.

For example, a carpeted meeting room might easily be converted to office space simply by installing cubicles. You could classify this meeting space as non-occupiable service area to indicate that it is currently not housing personnel, or as service area that is occupiable to indicate its potential to be an occupiable room. Classifying the room as service area that is occupiable enables you to track service area that could be reclaimed to house personnel if needed. Classifying the room as service area that is non-occupiable documents the room's current use.

Similarly, secondary circulation areas, such as internal corridors, could be occupiable if you reconfigured the space. For this reason, you might choose to designate secondary circulation as occupiable. Once again, your decision depends on your assessment of the space and your reporting goals.

How to Designate Rooms as Occupiable or Non-Occupiable

You designate a room as occupiable by assigning it to a room category that has its Occupiable? field set to Yes. To designate a room, as non-occupiable, its room category must have its Occupiable? field set to No.