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The Future of IWMS: Demand for Facility Tools on the Rise as Workplaces Digitize  

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With the growing number of point solutions in the market, some may think that an integrated workplace management system (IWMS) is no longer necessary. But, having one central tool to house all facility and asset data does have its benefits—and it’s becoming even more important when thinking about the future. Specifically, an IWMS is a key component when integrating building information modeling (BIM) and building management system (BMS) data to create a digital twin.

Analysts agree: An IWMS is becoming more important with each passing year. A Verdantix research report projects the market for IWMS solutions to reach $737 million by 2024, with a billion-dollar opportunity encompassing computer-aided facility management (CAFM) and computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) solutions in the periphery. The key driver behind the growing smart building software market? Digital twins and the potential for data-driven insights that empower more cost-efficient facility operations.

Archibus, by iOFFICE + SpaceIQ stands as an IWMS market leader. The platform offers comprehensive systems for optimizing built environments—whether you’re keeping up with growth, reducing portfolio costs, or optimizing the workplace to bring out the best in employees. Start simple, and evolve into a system that keeps your organization at the forefront of innovation.

Here’s a look at some of the ways Archibus sets the standard for IWMS and why companies across the world have made it their de facto platform for centralizing digital facility operations.

Manage data in one place for quick decision making

Point solutions are great for fixing a specific problem or bridging a unique gap in a data ecosystem. Unfortunately, they do little outside of what they’re intended to. As workplaces become increasingly digitized ecosystems, point solutions can’t keep up with synergistic demands. Businesses need a centralized platform for data aggregation and integration: a backbone for their digital ops.

Archibus enables a holistic view of your built environment by quickly integrating data with any platform, software, sensors, or other technologies in your tech stack. More important, it’s easy to add on and expand the workplace datasphere in the future with an open platform.

Meets your organization’s global and local needs

Business isn’t defined by borders anymore, and even small companies can have a global presence. The ability to meet global objectives while streamlining local operations is imperative to success. Archibus enables data-driven solutions at both macro and micro levels.

Adapt your built environment based on industry trends and best practices, as well as local, state, and federal regulations, and any other needs specific to your business. Archibus also leverages an experienced Global Partner Network that understands the market and your business, to provide unique solutions, tailored to enabling success at-scale.

Easily perform daily tasks

Whether in a traditional office format, a hub for flex work, or a coworking model, workplaces and broader facilities require everyday oversight. The scope of that oversight depends on the model and the needs of employees. Whatever the demands, Archibus empowers facility managers to realize and meet them.

Archibus’ IWMS platform leverages a more efficient and simpler user interface (UI), while delivering the full functionality and powerful user experience (UX) needed to execute a full range of essential tasks. From simple upkeep by internal staff to managing a team of third-party vendors, everyday tasks happen through Archibus.

Quickly launch across the organization

Easy implementation of the Archibus platform assists with a straightforward deployment and rapid adoption, from data entry to business outcomes. From facility managers to executive management teams, key stakeholders have instant access to powerful insights and performance-driven tools. It’s easy to get everyone on the same page with a cloud-based system that serves as a single source of truth for facilities data.

Best of all, Archibus offers help as you grow. Whatever or whenever the need arises, Archibus provides unmatched support and services backed by 35+ years of experience and a deep understanding of the global IWMS market. Archibus is even available out-of-the-box in seven languages, and easily configured for others.

Enhance your data

Integrated workplaces and smart building ecosystems are only getting bigger, more complex, and more important. The data they yield has the potential to drive key decision-making for organizations at every level of operation. Archibus brings it all together in one place, through unparalleled data aggregation capabilities.

Improve your energy, asset lifecycle, strategic space planning, and more with existing BIM data via a seamless bi-directional integration with Autodesk. Add GIS data for even more context. No matter how many inputs you have or the prevalence of the data itself, Archibus paves the way for building an advanced digital twin—and all the capabilities that come with it.

The IWMS era is only beginning

Point solutions are popular right now as companies begin to dabble in digitizing their facility operations. But, according to a report by IDC, they’re a far cry from the solutions these companies actually need.

“Too many organizations are missing the point of having an integrated workplace management system and are using an assorted collection of applications,” said Juliana Beauvais, research manager, Enterprise Applications at IDC. “Fully leverage all the capabilities of an IWMS to create a long-term strategy for your organization’s workplaces, campuses, facilities, and retail stores.”

Archibus is leading the charge into a future where digital facilities management is the norm. Our open platform allows organizations to manage their entire built environment, with integrations that support BIM, BMS, HR, and IT systems. Archibus centralizes key facility management components to help organizations manage their workspace, facilities, asset performance, and portfolio—all in one place.

Bottom line? Archibus makes workplaces good for business and great for people by providing an easy-to-implement, flexible, and scalable platform. The IWMS platform helps businesses manage their entire built environment and integrated data, no matter the size or scope of their operations.

Keep reading: What is a Smart IWMS and What are its Features?

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Blog Workplace Thought Leadership

Leverage the CLEAN Future and LIFT America Acts with an IWMS

By Fred Kraus
Sr. Director Product, Archibus
iOFFICE + SpaceIQ

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently introduced two bills—the CLEAN Future Act and LIFT America Act—that are focused on clean energy and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in America by 2050.

What does that mean for U.S. workplaces? A lot. The impacts on businesses and organizations of all types are substantial. Managing the nuances of each act will require powerful technologies – such as an integrated workplace management system (IWMS) – to meet the stringent requirements geared toward sustainability.

What is the CLEAN Future Act?

The Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act is legislation designed to ensure the U.S. achieves net-zero greenhouse gas pollution no later than 2050. The policy also includes an interim target of reducing 2005 levels of pollution by 50 percent no later than 2030.

These targets have been set by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a global group that believes that all nations must work together to aggressively cut carbon pollution. The panel said achieving net-zero greenhouse gas pollution by 2050 will help the world avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change.

What is the LIFT America Act?

The Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow’s (LIFT) America Act is legislation aimed at reducing energy and water usage in U.S. facilities, including hospitals, community drinking water plants, and schools.

These changes are meant to modernize infrastructure, fight the effects of climate change, and improve public health standards. The policy is designed to improve:

  • Energy efficiency and clean energy
  • Electric vehicle infrastructure
  • Drinking water
  • Broadband internet access
  • Public health infrastructure

Impacts on U.S. Businesses and Organizations

The CLEAN Future and LIFT America acts will directly impact businesses and organizations by alternating building requirements and energy standards across the country. If passed, the CLEAN Future Act would require building owners to:

  • Benchmark annual energy and water usage via the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® – this applies to buildings greater than 50,000 square feet and buildings already in compliance with local benchmarking ordinances are exempt
  • Develop a model building energy code using ASHRAE 90.1
  • Increase building energy performance standards

The LIFT America Act will place additional requirements on federally owned structures, including:

  • Reduce average facility energy intensity by 2.5 percent each year (relative to their 2018 baseline)
  • Reduce potable water consumption by 3 percent each year (relative to their 2007 baseline), for a total of 54 percent reduction by 2030

Increasing Sustainability with an IWMS

Many organizations struggle to find cost-effective ways to reduce their carbon footprint and ensure employee safety and wellness. Technology can streamline processes to effectively track and measure sustainability goals.

An integrated workplace management system (IWMS) platform, including one offered by Archibus, an iOFFICE + SpaceIQ product, makes it easier for organizations to comply with the more aggressive standards outlined by the CLEAN Future and LIFT America acts. A web-based IWMS platform can track key processes like energy and waste management, which helps organizations better understand the impact they have on the environment.

Organizations can utilize Archibus apps to align with their unique business needs, including:

  • Sustainability Assessments: Regular sustainability assessments allow organizations to measure performance indicators, mitigate risk, and reduce their carbon footprint
  • Energy Management: Many organizations have inefficient energy management practices that are difficult to find and cost them thousands of dollars each year – benchmarking, tracking, and management tools help control costs and increase sustainability
  • Green Building: Whether companies must meet new legislation requirements for individual buildings or across their portfolio, the green building app will help them achieve those goals
  • Waste Management: Efficient waste management systems allow organizations to improve health practices and minimize risks
  • Emergency Preparedness: The right IWMS tools overlap with business continuity planning, helping organizations recover quickly in emergency situations
  • Hazard Abatement: Identifying and abating indoor environmental hazards can be time-consuming, but this feature streamlines the process and keeps organizations safer
  • Health & Safety: From workplace safety accidents to PPE, organizations can gain greater control over health and safety protocols
  • Hazardous Materials: Quickly retrieving material safety information helps to protect building occupants and cut compliance costs

Where to start: Sustainability Assessments and Energy Management

Businesses and organizations don’t need to wait for the CLEAN Future and LIFT America acts to launch sustainability measures. IWMS technology makes the concept of environmental sustainability a reality by tracking, ranking, and documenting details on the condition and use of physical assets.

Manual evaluation using spreadsheets and other archaic methods are replaced by objective and systematic ways to identify and prioritize facility replacements, upgrades, and renovations based on environmental sustainability criteria.

Using data from a central repository in Archibus, building owners/managers can:

  • Establish proactive sustainability processes that can improve operational efficiencies, enhance stakeholder work environments, and boost asset value
  • Identify which assets should be repaired, renovated or replaced to achieve environmental efficiency goals or support an existing LEED™ or BREEAM® rating program
  • Improve capital budgeting and planning capabilities by tracking costs and budgets associated with environmental deficiencies
  • Increase efficiency of sustainability efforts by integrating assessments with work order management and by using a unified data repository

An energy management solution is also easy to implement in order to aggregate, evaluate, and optimize energy and utility spending decisions and reduce unnecessary consumption and costs. With Archibus, organizations can:

  • Evaluate consumption patterns to help renegotiate rates and consolidate energy providers
  • Reduce business risk and exposure to changes in energy costs or carbon emissions regulation thought what-if analyses
  • Track energy expenditures against a business plan or objective benchmarks

For more information on sustainability assessments and using IWMS technology to set the stage for compliance with the CLEAN Future and LIFT America acts, visit www.archibus.com.

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Manage the Three Phases of Commercial Leasing 

By Danielle Moore
Director, Channel Marketing
iOFFICE + SpaceIQ

When it comes to commercial leasing, there are three key phases to consider: onboarding, operation, and termination. Organizations with extensive portfolios face the daunting task of tracking numerous leases in varying phases of their lifecycles and variable terms of tenancy. No two buildings are the same, which requires flexibility in a company’s approach to lease management.

An integrated workplace management system (IWMS), such as Archibus, by iOFFICE + SpaceIQ, provides a centralized repository, flexible dashboards, automated alerts, and other critical tools for efficient and effective portfolio management. The application helps portfolio managers streamline data entry, automate lease information-gathering and management, and improve analytic capabilities—all at a high service level.

Lease oversight at every phase

Lease administration is a different animal depending on where in the cycle a particular lease is. Portfolio managers need to be keenly aware of each phase and the duties that come with it:

  • Onboarding: The acceptance, setup, and activation of an asset
  • Operation: The payment, accrual, management, servicing, and maintenance of an asset
  • Termination: The formal close-out of an asset contract

Proper management throughout the lease lifecycle helps companies stay on top of their biggest overhead expenses. From negotiating terms and signing the best possible lease contract, to proper cost accrual and depreciation tracking, to archival of real estate asset data after lease termination, it’s critical to have a centralized system of management.

How Archibus Leases assists portfolio managers

Archibus Leases allows organizations to manage their entire portfolio—whether they lease or own properties. Portfolio managers gain access to a variety of tools and data resources necessary to handle every phase of the corporate lease lifecycle and approach each phase with tact.

Whether it’s automating lease administration tasks from the get-go or contextualizing lease costs into easy-to-identify trends and forward-looking budgets, Archibus enables a better standard of commercial lease management. Here’s how:

Onboarding

Onboarding is a crucial first step in the lease lifecycle. It establishes the asset and unlocks growth opportunities for the business—but only if portfolio managers are able to control overhead and optimize lease admin. Archibus brings broad visibility to onboarding, to ensure every lease contract gets off on the right terms.

  • Eliminate time wasted locating and reviewing leases and specific responsibility clauses
  • Confirm landlord vs. tenant responsibilities to avoid delivery and payment confusion

Operation

Whether for a one-, three-, five-year term or longer, real estate managers need to optimize the asset for the life of the lease. This means relying on data-driven insights pertaining to cost, performance, and budget, while also ensuring proper asset maintenance and compliance standards. Archibus brings critical data to the forefront, to enable a higher standard of lease oversight during the operational phase.

  • Provide immediate online access to lease details, to easily validate invoices
  • Monitor leases, options coming due, alerts and more from a single screen
  • Assign three levels of urgency to alerts, personalized for all portfolio types
  • Summarize monthly recurring costs across the lease portfolio for an entire year
  • Sort costs according to user preferences, such as geography, cost category, or year

Termination

Just because a lease is coming to an end doesn’t mean there aren’t important decisions surrounding how to handle termination. Real estate managers need insights and records to ensure they’re able to offload the asset smoothly and with full transparency for accounting and tax purposes. Archibus brings enhanced visibility to lease termination proceedings and ensures accurate, accessible, thorough records beyond the lease end date.

  • Ensure all necessary documentation is accessible to properly terminate a lease
  • Track all terminated assets for the purpose of transparent record keeping

Optimize commercial lease management

Overhead costs are the most burdensome for a business—but also among the most necessary when it comes to enabling growth. It’s important to find a tool to assist in lease management across your entire portfolio, no matter what phase of the lifecycle they’re in.

Archibus Leases helps real estate managers see every phase of the lease lifecycle as an opportunity to leverage an asset for maximum ROI. It’s a tool that keeps lease data in one place, to make it easier to track and manage your entire portfolio.

At a time when the cost of commercial real estate is high and demand for centralized workplaces is shifting, it’s never been more important to clamp down on commercial lease management with software that enables a better standard of oversight across all three phases: from onboarding, to operation, to termination.

Keep reading: What Can You Do with Real Estate Analytics?

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Archibus OnSite Makes Fielding Work Orders Simpler 

High angle view of large group of multi-tasking entrepreneurs working at corporate office. The view is through glass.

Maintaining facilities takes an organized, concerted effort. There are so many facets of property upkeep to consider, each demanding its own approach to maintenance, repair, and improvement. Businesses need a tool on their side that enables not only visibility into these tasks, but also streamlined management of them. It’s why iOFFICE + SpaceIQ created Archibus OnSite.

Archibus OnSite is a new mobile solution that helps organizations efficiently manage preventive and corrective maintenance work orders, assets, and compliance. It’s designed with total facilities in mind, to enable groups and teams charged with keeping them up and running right.

Companies are taking a closer look at overhead

In the era of flex work, companies are paying more attention to the cost of overhead. What they’re finding are opportunities to cut back—not necessarily on space, but on the cost of maintaining that space. It’s all about cost optimization through better workplace efficiency.

Organizations are wasting too much time on administrative overhead: completing work orders in the office and planning work routes ahead of time. Instead, they need to efficiently maintain facilities and assets in a manner that optimizes for availability, uptime, good working order, compliance, and cost. They’re turning to Archibus OnSite to help them take a smarter approach to broad facility upkeep, and reaping the benefits that come with it.

How Archibus OnSite helps maximize overhead ROI

Archibus OnSite is built on a modern, mobile framework that makes facility teams and field workers more efficient. From fielding and sorting work orders, to built-in compliance checklists—Archibus OnSite puts critical resources in the hands of craftspeople charged with vital facilities tasks. Additional core features planned for the app include:

  • Location awareness for easy work planning and routing
  • Push notifications for instant reminders of what’s important
  • Questionnaire framework for regulatory compliance maintenance checklists

Unlike other maintenance solutions that focus solely on ticket management, Archibus OnSite takes a holistic approach to facilities management. It connects asset, compliance, and maintenance management with floor plans and maps to optimize the management of tasks—including locating and planning work.

Archibus OnSite optimizes maintenance operations by bringing visibility and flexibility to the actions that enable them. Beyond realizing the need for maintenance, upkeep, or repair, Archibus OnSite helps facility teams execute with purpose, to get the job done more efficiently and at a lower cost to the organization.

Archibus OnSite is part of a full-featured IWMS

Archibus OnSite works seamlessly with other Archibus modules to enable an even more streamlined approach to facility upkeep. The Archibus integrated workplace management system (IWMS) delivers a full profile of relevant data to Archibus OnSite users, giving them even more capabilities in the field, so they can do their job better. Over time, core synergies will include:

  • Connect to assets for a complete asset inventory and maintenance history to inform lifecycle decisions.
  • Extend to compliance and condition assessment solutions for a comprehensive view of assets under management.
  • Connect to space data and GIS to include floor plans, campus plans, and maps for wayfinding, planning, and locating.

Archibus OnSite allows facility teams to do more, faster. Robust integrations provide immediate, relevant data for an informed response to any support ticket, no matter where it originates or what the scope of work is.

Archibus OnSite as a comprehensive maintenance solution

As overhead costs loom large over organizations, Archibus OnSite ensures a higher standard of upkeep and quicker responsiveness that reduces asset maintenance costs and maximizes the ROI of the workplace using:

  • Robust and configurable workflows (approvals, estimating, scheduling, checklists, etc.)
  • Labor scheduling and workforce management and coordination tools
  • Part inventory management for simplified inventories and better cost control
  • Asset lists, maintenance history, reference documents, and compliance sheets

Archibus OnSite brings a broader level of oversight to facility upkeep and puts organizations more in-control of their response to everyday facilities tasks. No matter where or when maintenance demands arise, Archibus OnSite ensures a well-coordinated response.

The time for smarter asset management is now

Overhead costs may seem like a burden, but it’s vital to remember that real estate is an asset. To maximize asset ROI and more than justify the overhead costs that come with it, companies need to focus on the variables they can control—namely, their response to facilities maintenance.

Archibus OnSite is a ready-to-deploy, easy-to-integrate, versatile app that transforms the way an organization manages its largest asset. With seamless connectivity to other Archibus solutions, availability in seven languages, and the full support of iOFFICE + SpaceIQ behind it, Archibus OnSite will change the way companies think about and approach facility maintenance.

To learn more, check out our webinar or request a demo.

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Stay on Top of Day-to-Day Operations 

background
Blurred motion of energetic businesspeople on the go and project team members discussing ideas in a conference room.

By Danielle Moore
Director, Channel Marketing
iOFFICE + SpaceIQ

When you think about the traits that make a business successful, you might consider financial prowess, passion, and patience as crucial attributes. However, an oft-neglected trait has become increasingly crucial to defining success in a post-pandemic world: flexibility.

The ability to adapt to changing situations is extremely underrated yet extremely important. If the changing rules and regulations over the past year in reaction to Covid-19 have taught us anything, it’s that nothing is permanent, and everything is “figureoutable.”

It is naturally easier to talk about adapting than it is to actually make those changes to your business; when you have to manage an entire global portfolio with different property types and functions as well as the people who populate those spaces in a virus-sensitive society, space usage and availability can change in an instant. In addition, staying on top of day-to-day operations, spotting trends, and analyzing all of the data can be overwhelming, to say the least.

Portfolio managers who want to address current problems while identifying opportunities to better use their spaces can turn to an integrated workplace management system (IWMS) for insights. An IWMS with portfolio management provides oversight for any size real estate portfolio, improves root cause analysis to easily isolate problems and uncover potential opportunities, minimizes cost, and maximizes current commercial real estate (CRE) holdings.

A Triple-Win Scenario

A web-based IWMS with portfolio management affords businesses on-demand access to a centralized collection of data, which empowers more informed decisions about CRE.

A common operating framework of land, structures, buildings, and leases creates a more collaborative, better-informed workflow that enhances flexibility and increases scalability. This can have a trickle-down effect, benefiting all stakeholders and establishing a precedence of dynamic, situation-proof problem-solving.

Operationally, there are three positives to an IWMS with portfolio management. This triple-win includes benefits for:

  • Your Business: An IWMS can improve the analysis and management of real estate assets and align them with the company’s long-term mission. A key strategy is maintaining current spaces or invest in new ones as hybrid work – including remote work – grows.The opportunity to evaluate and track facilities as a dynamic asset allows companies to take advantage of vacancies and investment opportunities. An IWMS empowers business unit managers to easily review assets and space assigned to them. In turn, they can rationalize capacity, identify spaces that are no longer needed, and redesign or repurpose spaces to fit the changing needs of employees or potential subletters.Data visualization via the optional geographical tool to link to GIS functionality in the IWMS delivers map-based perspectives of properties. Real estate managers can then visualize the total impact and effectiveness of real estate spending and decision-making across business units. This makes it easier to develop quick, informed strategies based on the portfolio’s ability to fulfill the organizational mission. Additionally, seamless integration with other IWMS applications like capital budgeting, project management, space management, and enterprise move management maximizes CRE optimization for the business as a broad unit.
  • Your Employees: Data analysis and space planning are critical to prioritize the changing needs of employees in uncertain times. An organization’s ability to remain flexible and competitive for the benefit of its employees is pertinent to its success as a whole; higher employee satisfaction leads to higher engagement and productivity.Careful consideration of safety and health precautions, and opportunity for collaboration, are cornerstones of any return to the workplace plan. An IWMS tracks space usage, which allows employers to meet the unique needs of their employees. This data may result in creation of quieter, distraction-free spaces where employees can concentrate on work or the development of a hybrid work environment that makes it easy to switch between working from home and working in a group setting. The overall goal stays the same: decrease a potential loss of productivity.
  • Your Customers: Time is the only asset you can freely spend… but can’t ever create or purchase more of. Because of this, it must be used wisely.Less time spent on decision-making allows businesses to spend more time on customer service. An IWMS allows managers responsible for real estate assets to command every detail of a CRE portfolio and proactively offer better customer service.Client expectations have evolved with COVID-19. The growth of the digital landscape now requires businesses to be responsive 24/7. An IWMS provides unit managers with a self-sustaining platform available at their fingertips to answer client questions and concerns more quickly.

Face the Future with Flexibility

Creating an agile workplace that is able to withstand change and sustain positive business-employee relationships, as well as business-client connections, is crucial for continued growth. But it’s not a simple task.

The ability to be flexible is paramount and the only way to be recession-proof and ensure forward momentum. Implementing a SaaS solution like Archibus to securely modernize and up level is a means of committing to continued business improvement, employee productivity, and customer satisfaction – no matter what uncertain times might bring.

The result? An organization in control of accurate property and performance information that is designed to meet the needs of every party involved, from the business as a broad entity to individual employees and customers.

Keep reading: What is IWMS Software?

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Blog

Film Studio Space Planning

filming production. cameraman shooting film scene with camera

By Dave Clifton
Content Strategist
SpaceIQ

There’s a tremendous amount of planning that goes into filming a movie, even on-set as opposed to on-location. There’s only so much space available to filmmakers as they visualize their production and strive to bring it to life on a lot or in front of a green screen. Much of this planning focuses on how to use available space efficiently and in the best way for the production. It’s why many production companies engage heavily in film studio space planning.

With all the duties and activities happening on-set, space planning becomes an important part of keeping productions organized and on-schedule. The last thing any movie wants is a delay stemming from stalled production or confusion on-set, resulting in mistakes or mishaps. Space planning can help reduce errors, minimize lost time, and maximize the opportunities of a space.

Film studios have plenty of moving parts to contend with during a production. Film studio space planning takes guesswork out of the production efficiency. Here’s what it looks like.

What is film studio space planning?

Film studio space planning involves identifying the demand for space amongst the many activities involved in production—then allocating space to meet those needs. From props and wardrobe, to hair and makeup, to craft services, and beyond, it takes multiple teams to bring a production together. Each team needs its own space to operate and contribute.

Beyond identifying and allocating space, movie studios rely on space planning to coincide with the demands of the production as a whole. Which set is the movie filming on today? Who’s in the lighting booth tomorrow? Is there enough space to set up the dolly track for a specific shot? These questions and countless others are all factors in space planning for movie studio operations.

In a nutshell, movie studio space planning puts production teams in control of the space around them, so they can put it to work effectively.

Benefits of space planning for film studios

There’s a significant level of planning that goes into every phase of filmmaking. Space planning is no exception. Film crews need to ensure facilities support the agenda for the day—if they don’t, the movie suffers. Here’s a look at some of the benefits that accompany good film studio space planning and allocation:

  • Film studio and production facilities become more accessible
  • Filmmakers have the space they need to execute on their vision
  • Reduction in the amount of space needed to conduct production
  • The cost to the company drops as facility efficiency lowers overhead expense
  • Fewer overlaps and interruptions ensure smoother operations
  • Enhanced safety, security, and privacy in well-orchestrated spaces

When everyone has enough space to make their contribution to the movie, the production wins. Imagine not having enough space to get hair and makeup ready, or what would happen to the timetable if craft services were in the next lot over. Bringing everything together on the same set, with space proportioned accordingly, puts filmmakers in control of their production and everything that affects its quality, timeline, and safety.

How does movie studio space planning software help?

Trying to coordinate the many facets of movie production within the context of a single set is a difficult endeavor, made even more difficult over the course of a dynamic filming schedule. The space needs of today aren’t the space needs of tomorrow or next week. Everything is in flux according to the needs of the production, which makes space planning difficult. Software creates a dynamic solution to an evolving challenge.

Using movie studio space planning software, production crews can map the static floor plan of a studio and allocate spaces or zones accordingly. It’s easy to create markups for each day of the filming schedule, as well as on-demand for unforeseen set changes or complications. The drag-and-drop space planning standard makes adjustments quick and easy, with results that are totally contextualized.

Software also makes it easier to centralize communication about changes to movie set space allocation. PAs and set administrators can loop stakeholders into the software to set out revised floor plans and space allocation changes in real-time, to keep everyone on the same page. Fewer complications in an evolving floor plan allow the production to progress on-time, without setbacks that cost money or compromise the feature.

Space planning keeps production on-track

Filmmakers operate on a tight schedule. Production needs to progress as-scheduled, without obstruction. To do that takes significant planning—specially film studio space planning. From set changes to space allocated for hair, makeup, costume, craft services, and more, space is precious on a film set and needs proper allocation to ensure it’s used correctly.

Filmmakers that practice good space planning will find themselves on-schedule, with fewer disruptions and production setbacks. The result is a better movie, by way of seamless production and better budget allocation—not to mention consistency behind the scenes. It all stems from having the right space at the right time.

Keep reading: Film and Move Studio Space Utilization Software Benefits

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Film Studio Space Utilization

Film crew working on a set.

By Devon Maresco
Marketing Coordinator
SpaceIQ

A movie set is one of the most dynamic environments you can imagine. From the actors, to the film crew, to the directorial and administrative staff, to the countless others standing by, film studios are incredibly complex. As such, they need a keen level of oversight to keep everything organized and on-track. It starts with the effective use of space. Film studio space utilization ensures that even in small, extremely busy spaces, everyone has the room to do their duty in pursuit of production.

It’s easy to think of film studios as massive spaces with endless square footage. But not every studio sits on a Hollywood backlot. Specialty studios, small production venues, and local movie production spaces often operate at a space deficit. It costs money to make a movie, and the last thing production companies want to allocate funds to are facilities. Making the most of every square foot is imperative.

Here’s a look at what it means to practice good film studio space allocation and how it contributes to a higher standard of production.

What is film studio space utilization?

Film studio space utilization is the act of delineating specific spaces around specific purposes or needs, to make the most of a given square footage or facilities. Where is wardrobe setting up today? Is it nearby hair and makeup? Is there space for craft services? During a shoot, where are the various cameras positioned? These questions and a thousand others factor into allocating and using space efficiently within a movie studio.

The goal of movie studio space utilization is to ensure minimal facilities costs and maximum production capabilities. It’s not just about saving money in the budget, either. Good space utilization can streamline the production timeline, reduce the need for reshoots, and even open up the set to more complex and intriguing shots. Above all, it’s about ensuring everyone who’s part of the production has the space they need to do their job.

The benefits of space utilization for movie studios

There are a multitude of benefits that come with good space utilization. Movie producers and studios alike benefit from the ability to make the most of space, no matter the need. Some of the most prevalent benefits associated with good space utilization include:

  • More efficient use of facilities, from both cost and operations standpoints
  • Better understanding of space allocation and utilization
  • Purposeful allocation of space to support the needs of employees
  • Context for broader facilities data such as utilization and occupancy
  • Insights and opportunities to repurpose or reallocate space
  • Smarter spatial layout of facilities, to streamline accessibility

Consider the cost savings that go into something as simple as allocating optimal space for props. Instead of renting a trailer or secondary lot, production can continue on one lot, with ample space to store and retrieve props. Not only does this reduce production cost, it also expedites production time and can even improve safety on set. This is just one example of how thoughtful utilization of space creates measurable efficiencies.

How can film studio space utilization software help?

As mentioned, film studios represent dynamic spaces. While it’s easy to identify demand for space, it’s not always easy to ensure maximum utilization. Facilities remain static; production is dynamic. Film studio space utilization software helps bridge the gap.

A CAD mockup of the studio provides set administrators and PAs with the context they need to allocate and utilize space effectively. For example, Zone A might house props today to support the current scene. Tomorrow, Zone A is where hair and makeup will set up—and on Friday, it’ll become an extension of the set to film a complex continuous shot. The ability to visualize Zone A and its many purposes over the course of a shoot enables studios to make the most of space in an operational sense.

Space utilization software is also paramount in ensuring on-site safety, no matter how you’re using a space. Various guild and studio regulations place significant emphasis on keeping studios and sets safe, private, clean, and organized. Utilization software can build in standards and codes to ensure there aren’t any violations on-set.

The identification, planning, and execution of space during film production necessitates the use of software. Without it, PAs and other set administrators could find themselves lost in a sea of clipboards, printouts, and requests for space. Software helps everything run smooth, so that production can run smooth.

Optimize facilities to produce a masterpiece

Outside of Hollywood blockbusters, film budgets tend to be tight. The more money spent on the production, the better. And while facilities are imperative to filming the movie, they’re not always the best use of funds. Instead, it’s better to make the most of the space you have and put as much of the budget into effects, post-production, distribution, and, of course, talent.

Thankfully, through good film studio space utilization, it’s possible to do more with less. Understanding and allocating space, and using it synergistically to facilitate production, is a great way to make the best use of a film’s budget. After all, audiences don’t see where you film a movie—all they care about is the quality of the finished product.

Keep reading: Movie and Film Studio Space Planning Software Benefits

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Film Studio Facilities Management

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By Dave Clifton
Content Strategist
SpaceIQ

It’s difficult to film a movie in facilities that aren’t conducive to the production process. What happens when the overhead spot lights don’t work or the dolly track becomes unstable? What do you do if the voice recording booth isn’t properly soundproofed or the craft services area isn’t temperature-controlled? Films depend heavily on the studio to facilitate production, which is why film studio facilities management is so important.

The ability of a film studio to meet the unique needs of its productions is inherently tied to how it’s managed. If the facilities themselves don’t work as-expected or as-intended, the film ultimately suffers. Production stalls while problems get fixed or filmmakers settle for “good enough” rather than delay the shot even further. It’s safe to say that facility management is hugely important to the caliber of the movie itself.

The scope of management required to keep film studios running smoothly is tremendous. Thankfully, modern studios have systems in-place to ensure the movie stays on-track and facilities continue to support it, no matter what stage of production it’s in.

What is film studio facilities management?

Movie studio facility management involves the upkeep, maintenance, and oversight of facilities in the pursuit of supporting production. It can range from upkeep and maintenance of vital building systems, to coordinating people and activities within the building, to creating synergies between the building and the operations within it. In simplest terms, it’s about maximizing the capabilities of facilities to enable the many activities essential to filmmaking.

According to the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), facilities management encompasses employee support, facility technologies, health and safety, training, environment and sustainability, and facility maintenance. In a film studio, these areas of focus are prevalent throughout all stages of production, from principal shots to VFX and beyond.

A focus on facilities management is a focus on production quality. A great movie is only possible when the many contributions to its production can come together flawlessly: lights, camera, action. Undermaintained or mismanaged facilities will hinder production and take a quality toll on the movie.

Benefits of facilities management for movie studios

Emphasis on facilities management helps filmmakers produce a higher quality movie, while raising the reputation for the studio itself. When facilities support production and production credits facilities with quality, it creates a synergy that attracts future films to the lot and raises the bar for motion picture production. Here’s a look at some of the chief benefits of good facilities management:

  • Safe and secure facilities that promote accessibility, yet safeguard access
  • Streamlined operations through better space efficiency and utilization
  • More affordable facilities and better budgeting for upkeep and maintenance
  • Better transparency when it comes to company operations and activities
  • Easier management, upkeep, and improvement for space across facilities
  • Better adaptability and more flexibility to accommodate business growth

Film studio facilities management goes beyond keeping the lights on and soundproofing audio engineering booths. It needs to emphasize the actions and activities that take place within facilities and ensure everyone is capable of doing their job to a superior standard of quality.

When facilities enable filmmaking, the creative essence of the production comes to the forefront. Instead of wondering how to “make it work” filmmakers can focus on how to improve their vision within the context of facilities that enable anything.

How does film studio facility management software help?

There’s a lot going on within film studios at any given time. Filming and photography. Light and sound. VFX and post-production. Hair and makeup. Wardrobe and props. These and countless other focuses all need support from facilities. More and more movie studios are turning to software to ensure they’re getting it.

Facility management does the complex job of funneling the many demands of movie studio facilities into a single interface, where it’s easier for administrators to oversee and manage operations. This includes funneling support tickets and requests, as well as coordinating and allocating space. From fix-it tickets to floor plans, software brings facilities tasks to the forefront.

Film studio facility management software also provides insight into facility operations. Data streaming in from numerous sources makes it easy to pinpoint trends and action items, and even to prevent problems. Stay on top of and ahead of building demands helps keep productions on-time, under-budget, and to a higher level of excellence.

Software bridges the gap between physical facilities, filmmaker demands, and facility management expectations. The result? A studio that’s ready to support the production of a masterpiece.

Facilities are the backbone of production

You can’t produce a movie without the right facilities—it’s why film studios exist. But having the right space isn’t enough; movie studios need to support every phase of production and provide a backdrop for fluid creation. If facilities don’t support production, it’s difficult for a filmmaker to realize their vision, which means audiences miss out on what could’ve been.

Rather than risk a masterpiece production for something less, film studios need to focus on supporting production through better facilities management. The studios amenities need to support production crews, and the building itself should accommodate the operations taking place within it. Tending to facilities even in simple ways has a big impact on the movies that eventually come out of them.

Keep reading: Film Studio Stack Planning Software for Smoother Operations

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Film Studio Stack Planning

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By Devon Maresco
Marketing Coordinator
SpaceIQ

Film studios are some of the most diverse workplaces out there. Depending on their size and the scope of services they support, a film studio might include multiple sets, effects labs, editing stations, post-production offices, and much more—everything it takes to bring a movie to life. And while these spaces can easily sprawl (especially on a Hollywood backlot), there are still limitations to space. Film studio stack planning is key in understanding where and how studio space gets allocated, and if that allocation is ideal to support the production.

Stack plans make it easy for film studios to understand space and how it’s dedicated to certain facets of production. Does it make sense for post-production to occupy twice as much space as wardrobe? Is there enough space in the editing department? What is the bulk of the studio dedicated to outside of the main set?

Looking at a film studio stack plan provides insight into space allocation. It can help studios use space better, to produce higher-caliber movies more affordably. Here’s how studios can understand space using a stack plan to leverage it better.

What is movie studio stack planning?

A stack plan is a macro, top-down view of space allocation within a specific facility. For a movie studio it tells the tale of where space is, how it’s used, and what that occupancy looks like in context. For example, the stack plan might tell you that Set B occupies 34% of the building’s total space. Or, you might find that the light and sound effects lab takes up 3,000 square feet of space. A stack plan can even tell you where space allocation pans out—such as post-production units on the second and fifth floors.

The act of stack planning involves using insights from the stack plan to inform better organization and allocation within facilities. It might mean combining those post-production suits into a single studio or cutting away some of Set B’s space to make room for a new on-set hair and makeup station. Whatever the changes, they’re informed by a top-down, high-level understanding of space.

Benefits of stack planning for film studios

There are a multitude of benefits correlated to stack planning for film studios. The ability to understand space at a high level puts PAs and facilities managers in a position to better-serve the needs of filmmakers and maximize the efficiency of a studio environment. Some of the biggest benefits include:

  • More efficient use of facilities, from both cost and operations standpoints
  • Better understanding of space allocation and utilization
  • Purposeful allocation of space to support the needs of employees
  • Context for broader facilities data such as utilization and occupancy
  • Insights and opportunities to repurpose or reallocate space
  • Smarter spatial layout of facilities, to streamline accessibility

Stack planning insights can help shape operations. For example, if VFX is on the third floor and sound engineering is tucked into a basement, the two may have trouble working together. Moving them closer can create natural synergies that enhance post-production results.

Above all, stack plans and the act of stack planning allow film studios to operate with efficiency. It costs no small sum to make a movie; the less money spent due to facility inefficiencies, the more is available for production budgets.

How does film studio stack planning software help?

The bigger the film studio, the more complex its operational needs and the more valuable space becomes. To create an informed stack plan and reap the insightful benefits that come with it takes an investment in film studio stack planning software.

Software automatically compiles a stack plan to provide immediate insight into space allocation at a high level. Administrators can observe facilities through any number of lenses. What’s the total footage of Set A? What percentage of total facility square footage is this? What’s the cost associated with that allocation? This broad-spectrum information opens the door to better stack planning.

Stack planning itself is also simpler through software. Sandboxing capabilities allow administrators to play with floor plans and allocations before enacting them, to see how they affect facilities as a whole. Moreover, it’s easy to allocate with a macro mindset, with mind for facility demand. For example, if your studio does more VFX work and less filmography, it’s easier to scale these areas accordingly from a top-down view.

Above all, film studio stack planning makes it easy to respond to the demands of dynamic operations. What space is static? What space offers wiggle room to adapt? Who needs more space? Less space? Stack planning software enables data-driven problem-solving at a high level.

Stack plan to improve production support

It takes a lot to bring a movie to life, from acting and filming to editing and post-production. Each of these important aspects requires its own space in film studio facilities. Using a stack plan can help studios identify current space allocations, and opportunities to reallocate in support of filmmaking.

Stack plans are a top-level strategy that can reduce the total cost of movie production by facilitating smoother operations. Fewer bottlenecks in the production process means more efficient use of the studio—and fewer wasted costs to contend with. Instead of contending with challenges at each phase of production, filmmakers can spend time focusing on the art itself. Cannes, Sundance, and Tribeca, here we come.

Keep reading: Movie and Film Studio Space Planning Software Benefits