7. Management of internal changes
Changes within agencies' office accommodation involving office alterations, including changes to the layout of workstations, require professional design and documentation. Relevant approvals must be obtained, including:
- certification of Building Act compliance
- technical project approval
- building owner approval.
The Department of Energy and Public Works (EPW) will initiate these approval processes when appointed as consultant. In other cases, it is the responsibility of agencies, their service providers, or consultants, to obtain these approvals.
These projects also need to be assessed against project benchmarks as part of the Approval procedure for government office accommodation projects . These project approval requirements are described in Guideline 3: Fitout.
The procedures for making changes to accommodation involving the acquisition of additional area or reduction in area are described in Guideline 2: Space.
7.1 Building user guide
The purpose of a building user guide is to help property managers, contractors and occupants understand what they need to do to correctly operate and occupy a facility. A BUG typically includes information on:
- facility management practices
- security and waste processes
- reducing time in development and delivery of fitouts
- reducing energy consumption
- providing a healthy work environment
- Agencies considering accommodation changes must consult the relevant building user guide and factor its requirements into the fitout design as part of the building owner approval process.
Further information, including building-specific guides, can be obtained from EPW.