Refurbish vs relocate: the expensive mistake most companies make
When an office stops working, the instinct is often to move. A new building feels like a clean break: new space, new image, a chance to start again.
But the most expensive mistake we see isn’t choosing the wrong option. It’s choosing before you know how your current space is actually being used. Move without that understanding and you’ll often take the same problems with you, just at a higher rent.
Start with how the space is used today
In almost every workplace study we run, the same pattern appears: a lot of space sits idle for much of the week.
In one example, average desk use was just 37%, but the same space reached a peak of 66% on a Thursday lunchtime and dropped to 6.6% on a Friday afternoon. Across our studies since 2022, average desk use is 42%.
That gap between the average and the peak is the heart of the decision. Plan only for the average and the busy days won’t work. Plan only for the peak and you’ll pay for space that sits empty most of the time. Either way, you need the data before you can judge whether the building is too big, too small or simply set up wrong.
The case for refurbishing
A lower headcount in the office doesn’t automatically mean you need less space. More often, it means you need different space.
Our recent studies have shown possible space reductions of between 29% and 46%. But reducing space is only one option. The same findings can be used to repurpose the space you already have, swapping under-used rows of desks for the settings people actually want, such as informal meeting areas, focus spaces and pods for calls.
Refurbishing can also be the more sustainable choice. Reusing existing furniture, designing for flexibility and minimising waste all reduce the carbon cost of a project. At Cushman & Wakefield’s Birmingham office, considered planning and a mix of existing and new furniture helped the project achieve BREEAM Excellent.
Refurbishment tends to make sense when:
the building is in a good location for your people and clients
the floor plates can be adapted to a wider mix of settings
the building has a clear path to a strong sustainability rating
the main problem is how the space is laid out, not the building itself
When relocating is the right call
Not every building can be saved. The future of older, lower-grade office stock depends on the fabric of the building, including manageable floor plates and a realistic route to a good sustainability score.
Relocation is worth serious consideration when:
the building can’t be adapted to support how you work now
it’s in the wrong place for the people you need to attract
it can’t meet your sustainability or ESG commitments
your space needs have genuinely changed in size, not just in shape
Even then, the same groundwork applies. Knowing how you’ll use the new space is what stops you signing up for too much, or too little.
The questions to ask first
Whatever the outcome, we recommend starting with three things: people, process and place. In practice, that means answering three questions before anything else:
What is the purpose of the office?
What settings, and how much space, do you need?
What will a day, a week and a month in the life of the office look like?
These answers come from data and from your people: occupancy studies, surveys, interviews and workshops. It’s also worth remembering what people value. As we put it in our research, it’s not about the commute, but more about what’s at the end of it.
A refurbishment that changed everything
At Manchester Airport Group’s Olympic House, average desk use on a typical floor was only 40%. Rather than move, the business transformed the space it already had, replacing a rigid, desk-filled layout with fewer desks, flexible touchdown positions and a range of new settings.
The project was a BCO Awards 2023 finalist for refurbished and recycled workplaces. In the client’s words: “We’ve gone through 30 years of office development in 9 months.”
The bottom line
Refurbish or relocate is a big decision, but it shouldn’t be the first one. Understand how your space is used, decide what you need it to do, and the right answer usually becomes clear.
Talk it through with us
If you’re weighing up a move or a refurbishment, we can help you look at the evidence first.
