How it works
The input is a space program: how many desks, meeting rooms, focus rooms and support areas the organization needs. An architect or designer places these on the candidate floor plate, working around the core, columns, windows and exits, and produces a quick block or furniture layout.
The result shows what really fits: the number of seats, the rooms that can be built, and any compromises forced by the building's shape. It also gives a density figure, such as usable area per seat, which lets tenants compare buildings that quote similar areas but perform differently.
Test fits are drawn quickly, often for several buildings at once during a search. The chosen test fit then becomes the starting point for detailed design and the fit-out budget.
How to measure it
- Seats and rooms achieved against the space program, by type.
- Usable area per seat, compared across candidate buildings.
- Seats or rooms lost to the building's shape, such as deep areas far from windows.
Examples
- A tenant tests the same program in three shortlisted buildings and finds one holds it on fewer floors because of its larger floor plate.
- A test fit shows a floor holds the desks needed but only half the meeting rooms, which sends the search back to other buildings.
Common mistakes
- Testing an inflated program based on headcount rather than peak attendance.
- Treating the test fit as the final design; it is a feasibility check.
- Comparing test fits drawn to different standards, such as desk sizes or corridor widths.
- Ignoring building services, such as where power, heating and cooling can reach, until detailed design.
How Kadence helps
Kadence Workplace Insights shows current attendance, peak days and room use, so the program behind a test fit reflects measured demand. For floors already in the portfolio, SpaceOps goes from a stack plan down to seat-level layouts on real floor plans, and planners can compare options side by side before a move.
Space management · Scenario planning · Office space planning guide
Frequently asked questions
What is the purpose of a test fit?
A test fit checks, before you commit, that a building can hold what you need. It shows how many desks and rooms fit, what compromises the floor forces, and roughly how much fit-out work is involved, so you can compare shortlisted buildings on the same basis.
Who pays for a test fit?
Practice varies by market. Landlords often pay for test fits of their own space to win a tenant. Tenants also commission their own architect to test several buildings to the same standards, so the results can be compared fairly.
What is the difference between a test fit and a space plan?
A test fit is a quick feasibility layout used to choose a building. A space plan is the detailed layout drawn once the building is chosen, with exact desk positions, rooms and circulation, and it becomes the basis for construction drawings.
What do you need before commissioning a test fit?
A space program listing the desks, rooms and support areas you need, the space standards you use, and the floor plans of the candidate buildings. The program should come from measured attendance and room use, not headcount, or every test fit will overstate what you need.
How do I know if a team will fit on a floor?
Compare the team's measured peak attendance with the desks and rooms on the floor, not its headcount, and allow for people who need assigned seats. Then lay the team out on the floor plan to check it sits together and has the rooms it needs.
Related terms
- Space programming Working out how much space an organization needs, and of which types, before anyone draws a floor plan.
- Block plan A floor-level layout that assigns each team to a zone of one floor, between the stack plan and the seat-level plan.
- Lease event A lease date that forces or allows a decision, such as an expiry, a break option, a renewal option or a rent review.
- Office fit-out The work that turns shell or existing space into a usable office: walls, services, finishes, furniture and technology.
- Floor plate The area and shape of one floor of a building, which sets how many people, rooms and teams fit on it.
Kadence editorial team · Last reviewed