Glossary

Structural Grid (Column Spacing)

Also known as: column grid

The repeating pattern and spacing of structural columns supporting a building's floors, a fixed physical characteristic that determines layout flexibility for both office tenant build-outs and any future change of use.

Column spacing directly constrains interior layout options: a wide structural grid (30 by 40 feet or more, common in modern speculative office construction) allows large, column-free open work areas favored by benching-style office layouts and is also generally more adaptable to residential or lab unit planning, while a tighter, more traditional grid (common in older buildings, particularly those originally designed for heavier floor loads) can force awkward furniture layouts or, in a conversion context, dictate unit widths and room configurations that a residential or lab architect would not otherwise choose. Unlike interior finishes or even building systems, the structural grid is essentially permanent — altering it requires major structural intervention (transfer beams, new columns) that is rarely economical — so it is one of the first physical facts underwriters and architects establish when evaluating a building's flexibility for any future use, office or otherwise.