317 Staff Office

Definition: A space housing staff working at one or more desks, tables, or workstations.

Description: An office is typically assigned to one or more persons as a station or work area. It may be equipped with desks, chairs, tables, bookcases, filing cabinets, computer workstations, microcomputers, or other office equipment.

Limitations: Any other spaces, such as glass shops, printing shops, study rooms, classrooms, research/nonclass laboratories, etc., that incidentally contain desk space for a technician or staff member are classified according to the primary use of the space, rather than as an office. Office areas do not need to have clearly visible physical boundaries; examples include open reception areas and library staff areas that would not otherwise be classified as Processing Rooms (440). In such cases, logical physical boundaries (phantom walls) may be assigned to calculate square footage. An office is differentiated from Office Service (315) by the latter’s use as a casual or intermittent workstation or service room. For example, a space with a computer intermittently used by one or more people having a separately assigned office should be coded as Office Service (315). A combination office, studio, or research/nonclass laboratory should be coded according to its primary use if multiple space use codes with prorations are not used. A receptionist room that includes a waiting area should be coded as Office (310).