Applying the right office design standards does more than create a professional workplace — it ensures safety and optimises staff productivity. This article gathers common reference figures from Vietnamese standards (TCVN) and international ones (ISO, CIBSE) so you can lay out an office correctly from the drawing stage. These are reference levels — final figures still depend on the specifics of the floor plate and each building’s own rules.

If you are allocating functional zones, see also Zones every working office needs to complement the technical standards below.

Office design standards

Area per person

This is the base number for sizing the floor you need to lease:

  • Economy level: 4–5 m²/person.
  • Average level: 5–6 m²/person — the most common in Vietnamese companies.
  • Optimal level: 7–12 m²/person — typically seen in Grade A offices, ensuring comfort.

For a director’s or senior manager’s office: around 10 m²/person without a guest-reception area, and 20–25 m²/person if it includes one.

Ceiling height, lighting, ventilation

Drawing on ISO 11064 and CIBSE lighting guidance, some reference thresholds:

  • Minimum ceiling height: 2.4 m for a standard work area; large meeting rooms should be 2.8–4 m.
  • Illuminance: around 400 lux for the work area; 500 lux for shared space; 200 lux for reception lobby; 100 lux for corridors and stairs; 300–500 lux for the pantry. For precision work, overall illuminance may reach 400–750 lux.
  • Ventilation: minimum fresh-air supply of roughly 30 m³/h/person.
  • Temperature and humidity: maintain 20–24°C and 40–60% relative humidity.
  • Noise: keep shared space to a maximum of about 55 dB; use acoustic materials (such as mineral wool) where sound insulation between zones is needed.

Reception and meeting rooms

Reception is the company’s face, usually occupying about 10–20 m² depending on scale, and should clearly express the brand identity. For a small office, a curved counter helps expand the space visually; a large office suits an I- or L-shaped counter.

Meeting rooms — referencing TCVN 4601:2012 (design requirements for government offices):

  • Small meeting room (10–20 people): minimum 20 m², ceiling 2.8–3 m.
  • Medium meeting room (20–50 people): minimum 40 m², ceiling 3–4 m.
  • Per person: medium meeting room 8–10 m²/person; large 10–15 m²/person; multipurpose 4–6 m²/person.

Office design standards

Pantry and washrooms

Per TCVN 4515:2012 (catering areas at the workplace), pantry area per person decreases as the number of users grows: 2 m²/person for 1–20 people; 1.8 m²/person for 21–50; 1.6 m²/person for 51–100; and 1.5 m²/person above 100.

Washrooms need a minimum height of 2.2 m and a minimum area of 1.5–1.8 m² per cubicle, laid out for convenience and easy cleaning.

Basic furniture dimensions

Common ergonomic dimensions:

  • Work desk: 75–80 cm high; top 120–160 cm long, 60–80 cm deep.
  • Task chair: overall height 80–100 cm; seat 45–55 cm high, 40–50 cm deep and wide; backrest reclining 90–120 degrees.
  • Document cabinet: engineered wood (MDF/HDF) or natural wood, panel thickness 18–25 mm.

Office design standards

Standards only pay off when built correctly

A good set of standards on the drawing only works when it is built accurately on site — the right illuminance, the right fresh-air rate, the right acoustics. This is where the general-contractor-plus-quality-control role matters: pulling the M&E, lighting and finishing interfaces into one place and avoiding the “drawn one way, built another” problem.

AIC works to a single-point design-build model, with over 10 years in the trade (since 2016 under the predecessor Nhân Việt; AIC was founded in 2019) and two in-house workshops (1,200 m² and 600 m²). From a floor plan, AIC can produce a BOQ estimate within roughly 4 working hours so a business can size its budget against the standards above; projects are handed over with a warranty of up to 24 months and a scheduled maintenance plan. See more about our office fit-out service.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum area per office worker?

The economy level is about 4–5 m²/person, the common Vietnamese level is 5–6 m²/person, and the optimal Grade A level is 7–12 m²/person. The exact figure also depends on the work model (fixed or flexible) and the share of common functional zones.

What are the standard lighting and temperature levels for an office?

Work areas usually take about 400 lux and shared space 500 lux; temperature is maintained at 20–24°C with 40–60% humidity. A minimum fresh-air supply of roughly 30 m³/h/person keeps the space from feeling stuffy.

Are these standards legally mandatory?

Many figures come from TCVN (such as TCVN 4601:2012 and TCVN 4515:2012) and international ISO/CIBSE standards, serving as technical guidance for safety and comfort. In addition, each office building has its own fit-out rules that the design documentation must follow and that building management must approve before construction.