Quick answer
Panel height affects visual privacy, supervision, daylight, acoustics, storage, power components, and the feel of density. Evaluate the whole workstation system and room—not a single height in isolation.
On this page8 sections
Before any physical work begins
Put the project boundary in writing. List what is included, what is excluded, who controls the building, who can approve changes, and what evidence will be accepted at completion. This prevents an apparently simple furniture task from absorbing undefined IT, trade, construction, cleaning, or disposal work.
Define the scope in layers
Use verified product and building dimensions. Nominal workstation sizes may omit panel thickness, connectors, storage, overhangs, power components, and shared-panel conditions that change the installed footprint.
| Scope layer | Question to resolve | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Furniture | Which exact items, quantities, and installed conditions are included? | Inventory, photos, plan references |
| Building | Which access, protection, schedule, and insurance rules apply? | Written building requirements |
| Handoffs | Which responsibilities belong to IT, electrical, security, or other trades? | Named owner and completion check |
| Outcome | Where does each asset group go, and what is the fallback? | Destination and exception log |
Use a project sequence, not a vendor assumption
The sequence below keeps discovery and responsibility assignment ahead of the physical work. Real projects may overlap stages, but each stage should still have an accountable owner and a clear completion signal.
- 01InventoryItems, condition, location
- 02AccessRoute, dock, elevator
- 03HandoffsIT, electrical, building
- 04Physical workStage, move, protect
- 05DestinationReuse, recover, dispose
- 06CloseoutInspect, document, accept
Questions the project brief should answer
- What sightline is required?
- How does the plan use daylight?
- Are storage and overheads coordinated?
- Will panel height affect infrastructure?
Record assumptions beside the answer. If a layout, item count, access window, buyer, or trade availability is unconfirmed, label it as an open issue instead of allowing it to become an invisible schedule dependency.
Coordinate with the building early
Coordinate circulation, access, egress, power, data, HVAC, sprinklers, lighting, and fixed building elements with the qualified professionals and authorities responsible for review. A furniture diagram is not a code approval.
Send the final requirements to every relevant party. A rule known by the office manager but not the crew—or a product constraint known by the installer but not the planner—does not reliably protect the project.
Define the outcome and closeout record
Judge the plan by how well it supports work, access, infrastructure, installation, and future change—not only by the number of workstations placed on the page.
At closeout, capture dated photos, exceptions, remaining items, damage, open punch work, destination records, and written acceptance where the project requires it. Keep the record with the inventory so the final state can be reconciled against the original scope.