More room to move in southern offices

Office workers in Christchurch have more space to stretch out than their northern counterparts, as LIZ MCDONALD reports.

Paying the staff may be most businesses’ No 1 cost, but housing those staff usually comes in at No 2.

So it’s no surprise that workers where office space is costliest get the least room to move.

Office staff in central Christchurch luxuriate in an average of 20 square metres each, according to property researcher Alan McMahon, with staff in pricier Auckland and Wellington making do with 16 and 14sqm respectively. Dunedin workers have even more, at an average of 27sqm each.

The figures are calculated by dividing the total amount of floorspace, including boardrooms and bathrooms, by the number of workers.

McMahon, director or research for Colliers International, says measuring office density gives a benchmark for leasing efficiency, and shows floorspace has been getting tighter in the past decade.

Read the full article here > http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/christchurch-business/4082073/More-room-to-move-in-southern-offices