Companies rethink office space planning strategies. Published on 25/10/2026 - By Julianne Ricci As the fourth quarter begins, companies are finalizing their space plans for 2027, and the idea that a brilliant dashboard can save them from an expensive lease mistake is being reevaluated. With the launch of new AI-powered planning tools, such as HubStar's Dynamic Planning and Robin's Claude connector, companies are moving away from software that only reports on past occupancy and towards tools that can model future space needs. According to a CBRE survey, 23% of companies already use AI to influence space planning, and another 30% expect to do so within the next two years. However, this does not necessarily mean they are using AI planning software. In Asia Pacific, 50% of corporate real estate executives expect to expand their office space within the next three years. Space availability and leasing growth. JLL's US report shows a 6.4% increase in leasing growth over the past 12 months, with 9.6 million square feet of inventory disappearing in Q3. In Central London, the report recorded 3.1 million square feet of Q3 take-up, the strongest third quarter since 2019, and 5% quarterly growth in active demand. This growth in leasing and take-up suggests that companies should be cautious when signing new leases, as replacing space could be expensive. CBRE's analysis expects US office-using employment to grow 0.9% annually over the next five years. Meanwhile, half of Americas occupiers think AI will increase demand for flexible, reconfigurable offices. However, these figures do not provide a clear answer to how many desks a company will need to buy, making it essential to consider existing room sizes, team changes, and reconfiguration costs before committing to more space. A key challenge in predicting space needs is the accuracy of workforce data. Even the most advanced planning tools will struggle if HR expects 200 new employees while facilities budgets for 50. Pinterest's workplace planning lead, Brian Huber, notes that headcount growth has a much smaller impact on office utilization than actual changes in attendance. Occupancy measurement and AI planning tools. Occupancy measurement remains an important aspect of space planning, with most savings examples coming from this area rather than AI planning features. Companies like HubStar, OfficeSpace, and VergeSense are developing new tools to support occupancy measurement and AI planning. HubStar's Dynamic Planning release uses workforce figures, attendance policies, and occupancy data to model lease and growth scenarios. OfficeSpace's Studio lets teams edit imported plans and publish bookable layouts, reducing the time it takes to make changes from days to minutes. VergeSense's Meridian update adds 12-month assessments of possible space shortages and surpluses, allowing companies to make more informed decisions about their space needs. However, the effectiveness of these tools depends on the quality of the input data and the ability to integrate with existing systems. Johnson Controls' research identifies energy optimization as a leading use of AI in facilities management, with a global investment bank saving $2 million annually on cleaning and up to 30% on daily energy costs by connecting occupancy data to building systems. This example highlights the potential of occupancy data to reduce costs and improve efficiency. When evaluating AI planning tools, companies should consider the accuracy of the forecasts, the integrations and data-cleaning costs included in the price, and the potential costs of implementing the recommendations. They should also consider testing the tool's predictions against historical attendance data and evaluating its ability to handle different scenarios and assumptions. The use of AI planning tools is not a guarantee of success, and companies should be cautious of vendors that promise unrealistic results. By carefully evaluating the tools and their limitations, companies can make more informed decisions about their space needs and create a defensible 2027 workplace budget. The key to success lies in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the tools and using them in conjunction with other data and expertise to make informed decisions.

Pointr and VergeSense partner on AI workplace mapping and Predictive Planning platform. August 6, 2026 As hybrid work continues to reshape office utilization, corporate real estate teams are under increasing pressure to balance space efficiency with employee experience. Static floor plans and historical occupancy reports often provide an incomplete picture, making it difficult for organizations to optimize office portfolios or anticipate changing workplace demand. Pointr has partnered with VergeSense to introduce an AI Mapping & Predictive Planning experience that combines indoor mapping with occupancy intelligence to help organizations better understand and manage their workplaces. The companies announced the launch of an interactive microsite that demonstrates how AI-powered mapping and predictive planning can support real estate decisions, improve workplace navigation and provide greater operational visibility. The joint offering brings together Pointr's AI-powered mapping technology with VergeSense's occupancy intelligence platform to create what the companies describe as a live operational model of the workplace. By integrating real-time occupancy information with intelligent digital maps, organizations can monitor how office space is being used, identify changing patterns and make data-driven decisions about future workplace investments. "Pointr's AI Mapping transforms floor plans into live, geo-referenced digital maps, while VergeSense provides Occupancy Intelligence and Predictive Planning that measures real usage and forecasts future demand," said Elo Ofodile, GTM Leader at Pointr. "Together, we're creating a live operational model of the workplace that enables organizations to make faster, smarter decisions about their real estate portfolios." The combined platform is designed to help workplace leaders visualize live occupancy across office environments, identify bottlenecks and underutilized areas, anticipate future capacity constraints and optimize office layouts based on usage data rather than assumptions. It also supports real-time wayfinding, directing employees to available desks, meeting rooms and workplace amenities while helping them avoid congested areas. Rather than relying on historical reporting, the integrated solution is intended to give organizations continuous insight into how employees move through office environments and how workspaces perform over time. That visibility enables facilities and corporate real estate teams to take a more proactive approach to workplace planning as hybrid work patterns continue to evolve. The partnership highlights three primary use cases. Live occupancy information is displayed directly on AI-powered indoor maps, providing immediate visibility into workspace utilization. Predictive planning tools help organizations identify where office layouts no longer align with employee demand and generate recommendations for rightsizing or redesigning space. Employees also benefit from real-time navigation and occupancy information that simplifies finding available workspaces and meeting areas while reducing congestion. The companies said the platform is aimed at enterprise organizations seeking to optimize office portfolios, improve workplace experiences, reduce underutilized space and support hybrid work through data-driven planning. Pointr specializes in AI-powered indoor mapping and navigation technologies for complex environments, including workplaces, healthcare facilities, airports, retail locations and large campuses. Built on more than 25 technology patents, the company's platform combines Blue Dot positioning, its MapScale(R) AI mapping engine and agentic AI capabilities. Pointr says its technology has been deployed across more than 5 billion square feet of space worldwide and serves Fortune 100 organizations. VergeSense provides workplace intelligence software for corporate real estate and workplace teams. Its Meridian Workplace AI Platform is powered by the company's Large Spatial Model, which it says has been trained on more than 250 million square feet of workplace data. The platform helps organizations analyze occupancy patterns, support portfolio rightsizing, improve workplace design and automate planning decisions using existing workplace data. By combining spatial intelligence with predictive occupancy analytics, the partnership aims to provide enterprises with a more comprehensive digital foundation for managing hybrid workplaces while supporting both operational efficiency and employee experience.