Office Space Planning and Layout Design

Design office layouts and spaces easily with SmartDraw's office space planning software

The Best Office Floor Plan Creator and Office Design Software

Space Planning Made Easy

Start with an office plan template and drag and drop office layout components to design your layout. SmartDraw helps you align and arrange everything perfectly. Plus, it includes beautiful textures for flooring, furniture, and more.

Office Layout Symbols Included

You get thousands of ready-made visuals for cubicles, partitions, desks, chairs, and other office furniture. For a more technical building layout, you'll also get a full set of symbols for wiring, plumbing, HVAC, security systems, and much more.

Office Space Planning with AI

SmartDraw works hand in glove with your existing AI workflow whether you prefer ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or something else. Use AI to generate ideas for office layouts, provide inspiration for interior design styles, and create mood boards. Next, easily add any generated images to SmartDraw to enhance your office space planning.

Export your office floor plan and ask AI to offer suggestions for improved space utilization and flow you can easily implement in SmartDraw.

Using AI to enhence office floor planning

Easy to Work With Other Apps

SmartDraw is easy to work with no matter what other apps you use. You can add your office layout to:

Microsoft Office^®
- Word^®
- PowerPoint^®
- Excel^®
Microsoft Teams^®
Google Workspace^™
- Google Docs
- Google Sheets
Atlassian^™ apps
- Confluence
- Jira

Easy to Save to Your Existing Storage Solution

SmartDraw works hand in glove with most file storage systems. You can save your office floor plans directly to:

SharePoint^®
OneDrive^®
Google Drive^™
Dropbox^®
Box^®

There is no need to create a parallel set of common folders and permissions, SmartDraw can just save files directly into your existing set up.

Easy to Share

Share your office layout with anyone, even if they don't own a copy of SmartDraw, with a link.

You can also easily export any diagram as a PDF or common image formats like PNG or SVG.

Easy to Get Help

Have a question? Chat or email us. SmartDraw support is in-house and free!

Easy Collaboration

SmartDraw makes collaborating on your office space plan easy. Share your office layout and work on it with your team in real time.

Offer suggestions or communicate approval via comments.

SmartDraw also works where you already communicate with your team. You can collaborate on office plans in Microsoft Teams^®, Slack or Confluence.

Our Office Space Planning Software Features

Office floor plan templates
Lots of office layout symbols
Built-in common scales
Ability to define a custom scale
Change scale at any time
Ability to add layers for HVAC, and more
Scale independent annotation layer
Powerful shape data

Export a manifest
Import a PDF
Resize items by typing
Measure distance and area easily
Works with the tools you use
Collaborate with anyone in real-time
Export as PDF, PNG, or SVG
Works with 3rd party storage providers

Office Space Planning Examples and Templates

SmartDraw includes dozens of office layouts and office floor plans to help you get started. You'll never be stuck staring at a blank page.

Office Floor Plan

Office Building Layout

Office Layout

How to Design an Office Space

Step 1

Define Your Goals

Think about what you're trying to achieve with your new layout. Are you looking to add capacity as you hire? Do you want to focus on hot desking and integrating a hybrid work force? Are you restructuring to create more collaborative spaces or better flow between relevant team members?

Step 2

Assess Your Needs

How many employees will need desks? How many cubicles? How many will need offices? How many meeting rooms does your organization need and what size should they be?

Step 3

Measure and Gather Data

Measure your existing layout or upload a PDF of your existing office floor plan. Look up local regulations for accessibility, power, and lighting.

Step 4

Start with an Office Layout Template

In SmartDraw, navigate to the Floor Plans - Commercial category and choose Office Design. This template has all the tools and symbols you need to complete your office space plan.

Step 5

Draw Walls

Create an outline by adding walls for your floor and each office.

SmartDraw makes it easy to drag walls to adjust them or just type the length directly into walls to modify them. Once you've created an outline for your office, click on a wall and you'll see two types of growth handles appear. The handle with an up and down or right to left arrow will allow you to move your wall inward or outward vertically or horizontally. The handle at the corners where walls meet will help you adjust your wall diagonally by letting you move the placement of the corner.

Step 6

Add Doors and Windows

Drag and drop doors and windows to complete your office outline.

Step 7

Add Office Furniture

Add furniture like desks, equipment, chairs, partitions and so on. Include tables and chairs for the break areas and conference rooms.

Step 8

Collaborate with Others

Invite clients or team members to give you feedback and work on your office plan in real-time. Make notes or even make changes on the fly as a group. SmartDraw is so easy to use, you can make changes in real-time.

Step 9

Print or Share Your Office Space Plan

Once your office design is complete you can insert it directly to any Microsoft Office app like Microsoft Word^® or PowerPoint^®, or add it to Google Docs^™ or Google Slides^™.

SmartDraw also has apps to integrate with Atlassian's Confluence and Jira. You can share your floor plan design in Microsoft Teams. You can also easily export your office floor plan as a PDF or print it.

Types of Office Space Plans

The biggest decision you'll have to make about your office space plan is deciding on the type of layout that best suits your organization. Do you want private offices to give employees privacy or an open layout to encourage collaboration or some mix of both? Here are some layouts to consider:

Open Office Plan. This type of office plan has large open areas with no dividers or privacy. It's great for saving space and for teams that need to collaborate and communicate a lot. Startups and creative teams work well with an open floor plan. A major downside of an open office plan is that it can create a noisy and distracting work environment.
Private Offices. Private offices are great for management who needs confidentiality and employees who need quiet and focus. You'll often find private office plans in law firms and finance where conversations need to be confidential.
Cubicles. Cubicles offer some privacy while still allowing for collaboration and communication.
Hybrid Office Plan. A hybrid office plan mixes open collaboration zones with private offices. Hybrid offices can also support hot desking and hoteling. Hot desking is when remote employees come into the office and take any available workstation. Hoteling is a specific type of hot desking, where workers reserve their desired office space in advance.
Modular Office Plan. A modular office plan uses specialized modular furniture and movable walls for a flexible layout that can be reconfigured to meet the changing needs of your organization.
Activity-Based Working (ABW) Plan. An ABW office plan has different zones configured for specific tasks such as collaboration spaces, phone booths, focus rooms, lounges, and more. Employees choose where to work based on their activity at any given moment.
Co-Working Office Plan. Co-working office plans are great for freelancers and small startups who don't need a lot of space. It's great for networking, but not for privacy.

Tips for Office Space Planning

Whether you're designing a new layout or optimizing an existing office space, here are some helpful tips to get you started with office space planning:

Start with Clear Goals. It's really important to clearly define what you're trying to achieve. Do you need to make room for more employees or do you want to optimize flow and communicating among your existing team members?
Think About Workflow. Keep break rooms and high-traffic areas like printers away from focused work zones. Consider which teams have to work together often and keep them near each other if possible.
Balance Collaboration and Focus. Provide areas where employees can work without distractions while maintaining open lines of communication. Use sight lines strategically to encourage connection without causing visual or noise interruptions.
Ensure Good Flow. Avoid creating bottlenecks and make sure shared spaces are easy to reach from multiple directions.
Incorporate Natural Light. Maximize access to natural light even for employees without offices by either positioning all types of workstations near windows or adding internal glass panels that can diffuse light to internal areas. Consider how to minimize glare and reflections especially for monitors and presentation spaces.
Plan for Technology. Make sure your office plan has enough outlets and network ports. Think about where you'll want to place whiteboards and monitors.
Design for Flexibility and Scale. Think about how your office could evolve as you hire and grow.
Reflect Company Culture. Make sure your office plan reflects your values and company culture. Do you want to create an atmosphere for collaborative fun or do you need your space to reflect the gravity and seriousness of your organization?

Office Space Planning Standards

There are no universal office space planning standards other than your local building codes and regulations. However, there are some industry best practices that may help you design a better space.

Space Allocation Guidelines. A typical shared desk in an open office is 80 to 150 sq ft, while a private office is usually 150-250 sq ft. When designing a conference room, allow for 20-30 sq ft per person. In a break room, allow for 15-25 sq ft per person.
Ergonomic Standards. Follow ergonomic standards that ensure proper desk and chair heights, adequate legroom and reach zones, adjustable seating, monitor positioning at eye level, and so on. For example, it's recommended you have 36 inches of clearance behind chairs.
Building and Safety Codes. When creating an office space plan in the US, make sure to comply with all relevant US laws such as those described by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Also follow local building and fire codes described by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and consider energy or environmental guidelines such as those described by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Technology. Plan for ample power outlets, data ports, and reliable Wi-Fi coverage at every workstation, with dedicated circuits for equipment and integrated AV connections in meeting rooms to support modern technology needs.
Efficiency. Office efficiency standards typically target 70–85% space utilization, a 40/60 collaboration-to-focus ratio, and shared desk ratios of about 1.5 employees per workstation to balance cost, comfort, and flexibility for hybrid workplaces.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Floor Plan Creators

Can I use AI to generate an office floor plan?

AI tools and LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude are great for generating designs in the early stages of planning for inspiration. However, the images they produce are not editable and not to scale. We recommend using LLMs alongside a tool like SmartDraw's floor plan creator. This gives you the best of both worlds. You can translate a text prompt into an inspirational image and use SmartDraw to create a precise scaled drawing you can hand off to a contractor.

What is the best office layout?

The best office layout will depend on your needs. Most organizations prefer a hybrid or flexible design that combines the need for focus and privacy with collaboration and communication. Consider the needs of your organization, employee well-being and morale, and future plans when designing your office.

Can I import a PDF?

SmartDraw lets you import a PDF and make it a background image you can sketch over. Add evacuation routes, notes, and more to an existing design.

How to calculate how much office space I need?

Multiply your headcount with a square footage estimate that matches the style of your office plan. For example, in an open office layout, you'll want about 80 to 150 sq. ft. space per person. In a hybrid office, with a mix of private and shared spaces, the number should be more like 150 to 250 sq. ft per person. Also add in space for shared areas like conference rooms, break rooms, mail rooms, and more.

How to space plan an office?

Start office space planning by assessing your team's needs and available square footage, then design a layout that balances your need for offices and collaboration zones with any constraints. Use scaled office floor plan software like SmartDraw to arrange furniture, lighting, and technology efficiently while meeting ergonomic and safety standards.

Can I import images?

You can easily import photos to create texture or add more detail to any design. You can even import an image of an existing floor plan if you want to draw over it in more detail or make notes to share with your team.