Planning an office refurbishment? Start with how your team uses the space, then assess what can stay, what needs changing and how the work can be phased.
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Aspire Building
001
What should an office refurbishment achieve?
An office refurbishment should solve a clear workplace problem. Begin with the activities your team needs to carry out, assess the condition of the existing space and agree which elements can be retained. A new finish alone will not resolve a shortage of quiet rooms, awkward circulation or unreliable building services.
In its July 2026 fit-out review, RICS describes hybrid working, upgrades to existing offices and material reuse as significant themes. That makes a review of the space you already have a useful starting point before committing to a full strip-out.
Write a one-page brief with three headings: what works today, what interrupts the working day and what must work better after handover. Ask staff who use the premises differently, including people taking calls, meeting visitors or working quietly. Record a typical busy day as well as a quieter one.
002
What can you keep or reuse?
Prepare a room-by-room inventory before selecting replacements. Record the condition, suitability and location of partitions, doors, joinery, furniture, lighting and accessible service routes. Mark each item as retain, investigate or replace. Photographs and a simple floor plan make the decisions easier to discuss.
Keeping an item should depend on its condition and suitability for the new arrangement. Ask the relevant specialist to assess anything affecting fire protection, electrical safety, ventilation or structural performance. Reusing furniture is a different decision from reusing a building system; do not treat them as interchangeable.
The British Council for Offices’ 2026 award examples include refurbishment schemes that retain existing infrastructure and furniture. They demonstrate the design possibilities of reuse, rather than a specification every workplace should copy.
Keep a short decision log: item, condition, proposed use, who will confirm suitability and when the decision is needed. This helps avoid removing something before the team has agreed its future.
003
Can the office stay open during the work?
Sometimes, but continued occupation needs to be assessed against the actual scope and site conditions. Agree whether work areas can be separated, which routes remain available and when noisy or disruptive tasks can take place. Some stages may require temporary closure or relocation.
Before confirming a programme, list the business activities that cannot be interrupted. Include reception, customer appointments, deliveries, server access and any operations dependent on particular rooms or services. Nominate one client contact who can approve changes and communicate arrangements to staff.
Ask for a phasing plan showing each work area, the handover between phases and any proposed service interruptions. The plan should also identify who confirms a space is ready for use again. A staged programme still needs coordinated decisions about materials, access and specialist work.
004
Your office refurbishment briefing checklist
Bring these details to the first conversation: the property address; whether you own or lease it; the areas included; a floor plan if available; current photographs; approximate staff numbers; working hours; and the main problems you want to resolve.
Also identify the landlord or building manager, any known consent requirements, important dates and the person responsible for decisions. Agree what the quotation and handover information should cover, including exclusions, product information and outstanding items.
Aspire discusses office fit-outs and commercial refurbishment across London, Essex and Suffolk. Share your premises, priorities and proposed timing so we can discuss a suitable next step.
