The article reports on a survey of visual preferences for suburban office buildings. The participants comprised members of the professions involved in the speculative development of these buildings and building users. The survey method used paired comparisons of photographs representing eight different design types for suburban office buildings. The data were processed using a form of conjoint analysis. Differences in the preferences of architects and users were revealed, confirming previous surveys. Analysis of the preferences showed a different weighting of design attributes. Despite these differences, a design type could be identified that would combine the preferences of both architects and users. This finding is generalized in the proposal for an “ordered preference model” to generate designs which reconcile the preferences of both architects and laypersons.

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Purpose -The growth in flexible working by employees in many office-based organisations means that workstation sharing at the employer's premises is increasingly attractive. However, because of peaks and troughs in demand it is difficult to decide how many workstations should be provided. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cost-effectiveness of alternative workstation sharing strategies. Design/methodology/approach -The study used an agent-based simulation model with two input variables: the employees' reaction if they are blocked (i.e. they find that all workstations are already occupied), and the number of workstations at the employer's premises. The simulation was run for 56 scenarios. The results were evaluated by assigning cost penalties for workstations, blocking and displacement; there were eight cost regimes reflecting different organisational characteristics. Findings -The simulations showed trade-offs between the activity and space variables, in terms of utilisation, blocking and displacement. When costs were applied the output of the simulation runs, the most cost-effective scenarios varied markedly with the different cost regimes.Research limitations/implications -The variation in optimum strategies with different model input values suggests that cost-effective workstation sharing strategies must be developed on a case-by-case basis. The simplifying assumptions in the model must be considered when applying the findings to real organisations. Originality/value -Quantified analysis of the cost-effectiveness of workstation sharing strategies has not been found previously in the literature.

Purpose -Low utilisation is observed in many buildings and space-sharing is often identified as a facilities management response, but uncertainty about demand makes it difficult to decide how much shared accommodation to provide. The purpose of this paper is to analyse similar problems in the discipline of yield management, a branch of operations research. Design/methodology/approach -The "newsvendor problem" in yield management is adapted and applied the to the space-sharing problem. The mathematical model identifies the optimum capacity for specified values of input variables. The model is illustrated with worked examples for systematic variation in three factors: the average demand (three values), the penalty cost ratio (six values), and demand uncertainty (three values). Findings -The optimum capacity for shared accommodation can be mathematically determined. It varies considerably with the case-specific values given to input variables. Three "principles of optimality" are defined that apply to optimum capacity for a given demand, or alternatively to optimal loading for a given capacity.Research limitations/implications -The variation between different cases shows that optimal capacity must be assessed for specific contexts. The mathematical model makes simplifying assumptions that have not yet been tested in real-world situations. A comparison between optimal and actual performance would reveal whether there are opportunities for significant enhancement in facilities management performance. Originality/value -Applications of yield management ideas to the space sharing problem have not been found in the literature.