The Ghost in the Office Kitchen: The Hidden Cost of Overestimating Peak Occupancy
In the complex ecosystem of corporate real estate portfolio management, “peak occupancy” is often treated as a true,
FEATURED BLOG
The Ghost in the Office Kitchen: The Hidden Cost of Overestimating Peak Occupancy
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Keep Up To Date With Updates & Insights
*By clicking the "Subscribe" button, you are
agreeing to the Terms and Conditions.
The Hidden Cost of “Free” Wi-Fi Occupancy Data
Many organizations mistakenly believe native Wi-Fi data is a "free" path to occupancy analytics. In reality, relying on internal teams to extract, clean, and visualize this data creates a costly, labor-intensive bottleneck. Learn why purpose-built solutions like Lambent are the smarter, more cost-effective choice for modern workplace strategy.
Turning Space into a Strategic Asset
Data Meets Insight for the Higher Education Sector Most universities don’t have a space problem; they have a
90% Accuracy Today Beats 98% Percent Accuracy Too Late
Stop paying rent on ghosts. When it comes to corporate real estate, waiting for 98% perfect data turns data collection into a historical record of avoidable waste. Get actionable insights now.
Higher Ed Portfolio Divestment Strategy: How Occupancy Analytics Cuts Campus Costs Fast
As enrollment shifts and program demand changes, higher ed institutions are rethinking their physical footprint. Occupancy analytics gives leaders the data they need to cut costs strategically without sacrificing what matters most.
Empty Seats, True Insight: What Quiet Campuses Reveal
Empty campus doesn’t mean empty insight. Summer reveals how space truly performs. Are you ready to capture it?
Florida Universities Are Rethinking Space: Three Real Estate Challenges Shaping 2026
Across Florida, higher education facilities leaders are reimagining campus operations to meet new financial, environmental, and cultural demands. Sustainability expectations are growing, budgets are tightening, and the ways students and staff use campus spaces are evolving faster than ever.
The Rise of Analog and Anti-Doomscrolling
What can Space Planners learn from the rise of Analog and Anti-Doomscrolling? These activities are signals to space designers everywhere.
The Value of Floor-Level Data for Occupancy Analytics
Before you can optimize every room or desk, you need to see the bigger picture. Floor-level occupancy data gives you fast, clear visibility into how your buildings actually work—helping you spot opportunities, cut waste, and decide where to dig deeper next.
Large Occupiers Are Expanding Again: How Utilization Intelligence Helps Win the Next Top Lease
Large occupiers are expanding, trading up to prime space, and clustering in core markets—this is the moment for CRE teams to turn utilization intelligence into their unfair advantage.
Mind the Gap: Why Space Management Is the Missing Link in Higher Education Facilities Strategy
Between the bold vision of campus master plans and the daily demands of space requests lies a critical—and often overlooked—link in higher education strategy: space management. This “missing middle” holds the key to unlocking millions in cost savings, optimizing space utilization, and turning behavioral barriers into opportunities for smarter, data-informed decisions. By empowering space management as a strategic function supported by real-time analytics, universities can bridge the gap between planning ambition and operational reality.
Unlocking ROI on Campus: Why Smarter Beats Smaller
Rethink what “less is more” really means for your campus. Learn how Lambent Spaces empowers universities to find hidden value, boost engagement, and deliver ROI—simply by using what they already have to its fullest potential.
Where Do You Trim When There’s No Fat Left? NYC’s Lean Real Estate Era
As New York City office costs climb, corporations are facing a fresh challenge; how to drive great workplace experiences when there’s no “fat” left to trim. Discover how data and occupancy insights are redefining what it means to operate lean in the city that never slows down.
Lost in Space: Bridging the Gap Between Space Policy and Daily Management in Higher Ed
When it comes to space planning in higher education, universities often find themselves stuck in a paradox. Bridging the gap between policy and practical management is now crucial for institutions aiming to fully leverage their real estate investments. We sat down with David Wilder, Senior Director of DC Building Operations as Virigina Tech to learn more.
Flattening the Office Occupancy Bell Curve: Rethinking Peak and Shoulder Days in Hybrid Work
Many companies stick to office peaks midweek but struggle with low Monday and Friday occupancy, creating operational inefficiencies and higher costs. Flattening this occupancy curve is key to optimizing real estate and improving employee experience—but mandates face resistance. Incentivizing shoulder days offers a promising alternative.
From Sanctuary to Social Space: Trends in Campus Transformation
Universities are rethinking what campus space means in an era of tight budgets, shifting student needs, and hybrid work. Discover how fresh data and innovative design are transforming underused areas into dynamic hubs—fueling collaboration, flexibility, and a more connected academic community.
Rethinking the Return-to-Office Challenge
Coffee badging isn't new but it's still plaguing space planners. What do they need to combat coffee badging? More of the right type of data.
Operations Management: Cutting Costs in Higher Education with Wi-Fi Occupancy Analytics
Higher education is facing mounting financial pressures and shifting campus needs. To address these challenges, universities must adopt a surgical approach to operations management
UK Universities Face Space Challenges and Opportunities as International Student Numbers Rebound
UK universities are scrambling for elbow room as international students flood back in 2025—old buildings and outdated space audits just aren’t cutting it. Discover how smart data (and a little tech magic) could be the secret to keeping everyone happy on campus.
Rethinking University Real Estate: A CFO’s Guide to Turning Campuses into Strategic Assets
Is your campus real estate just taking up space-or making a difference? It’s time for CFOs to move beyond spreadsheets and see how smart analytics can turn every square foot into a strategic win for budgets, people, and the planet.
Where to Start with Occupancy Analytics: Targets or Metrics?
Real Estate's chicken and egg problem; is it better to start with metrics or start by setting benchmarks? Let's dig in.
Brown University’s Space Race: How Data Helped the School of Public Health Win Big
Brown University’s School of Public Health faced an Ivy League arms race for talent, grant funding deadlines, and the paradox of fully assigned yet underutilized spaces.
Leveraging Wi-Fi Occupancy Data for Smarter Space Management
Accruent Solutions - especially EMS - can support your workplace management but there's a way to bump up its efficiency with Wi-Fi Occupancy Data.
Space: The Currency of Higher Education
Real estate prices have skyrocketed in cities across the US leaving colleges and universities in a peculiar predicament.
Navigating the Higher Education Enrollment Cliff with Strategic Space Planning
While the enrollment cliff poses undeniable challenges, it also compels needed innovation. Learn how universities are embracing data science to ensure survival.
Deferred Maintenance Strategy: How to use occupancy analytics to inform real estate strategies
Deferred Maintenance burdens plague nearly every college and university in the US. Learn how to optimize space utilization and identify opportunities to reduce the burden.
The Office Space Paradox: Why Companies Struggle to Find Premium Space
Recent reports indicate a surprising trend in the commercial real estate market: despite high overall vacancy rates, companies are struggling to find the right office space. This paradox highlights a critical issue in the current market - the mismatch between available space and tenant needs.
Occupancy Analytics: The Key to Effective HVAC Setbacks and Sustainable Building Operations
Picture a future where your building’s energy consumption is perfectly in sync with its actual needs. This is
Think All SaaS is Created Equal? Think Again.
Don't put student and faculty at risk by not asking the right questions of your occupancy analytics platform when it comes to security.
Hybrid Work: Myths, Stickiness, and the Future of Work
Hybrid Work has been a considerable pain point for Real Estate leaders but experts say building flexibility, focusing on experience, developing a tech stack, and evaluating the size of the prize will help.
NSU Florida Saves $70M Using Occupancy Analytics
NOVA Florida found a way to fight the rising costs of running a university. Learn how they leveraged occupancy analytics to save big.
Data-Driven Real Estate Decisions: Using Occupancy Analytics to Maximize ROI in Corporate Offices
Organizations are prioritizing how real estate can enhance workplace effectiveness rather than relying solely on traditional metrics like square footage per employee.
Optimizing Campus Spaces: Why a Space Utilization Study Is Essential for Higher Education
Conducting a space utilization study is a powerful way to gain actionable insights that can drive smarter, data-backed space management strategies, helping universities reduce costs, enhance student and staff experiences, and adapt to changing enrollment or program needs.
Go Big or Go Home: The Smart Approach to Space Planning Decisions
When it comes to deploying a Wi-Fi-based occupancy analytics system, the mantra is simple: Go big or make suboptimal space planning decisions.
Beyond the Proof of Concept: Why Scale Matters in Space Planning POCs
Beware the Proof of Concept (POC) that doesn't scale! Technology trials can be misleading if the technology and price isn't built to scale porfolio-wide.
Optimizing Office Space Management with Advanced Utilization Metrics: A Guide for Stakeholders
As companies gear up for a post-summer surge in office attendance, the pressure is on for key stakeholders
Occupancy Analytics: The Key to Effective HVAC Setbacks and Sustainable Building Operations
Picture a future where your building’s energy consumption is perfectly in sync with its actual needs. This is
How UTK Uses Occupancy Analytics, Shaped by AI to Solve Space Challenges on Campus
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) is experiencing significant growth, from increasing enrollment figures to expanding faculty and
The Pendulum Swing of Work: Have We Gone Too Far?
Flexible work strategies are essential to today's workforce, but our desire use attendance-taking as a substitute for output or performance is a bridge too far.
Navigating Hybrid Work: Insights from Corporate Real Estate Leaders
Learn how CRE leaders are adapting to hybrid work models and how it impacts their real estate strategies, tech stack, and workplace culture.
What is Corporate Real Estate Portfolio Optimization?
Like a stock portfolio in equity investing, a commercial real estate (CRE) portfolio is a collection of assets
Move Beyond Attendance-Taking with Wi-Fi Occupancy Analytics
Corporate Real Estate professionals have been relying on badge data to support campus security, track peak office attendance
Unlocking Campus Potential: How Occupancy Data Builds Space Planning Consensus
In the bustling world of academia, where space is both coveted and contested, the quest for optimal occupancy
Purdue University is not actually out of space, and you might not be either
The number one topic at Tradeline's University Facilities Conference was Occupancy Analytics. Find out more.
Managing Campus Space in 2024: Insights from the Higher Education Round Table
Learn what the leading institutions are thinking about in terms of space planning technologies from our New England Roundtable.
How to identify opportunities for mothballing underutilized office space
Learn how to identify opportunities for mothballing underutilized office space.
Mothballing in Space Management
Learn what mothballing is in office space management and its strategic importance for adapting to increasingly common hybrid and remote work models.
Space Management Trends Hitting Higher Education and CRE alike
Women are at the forefront of space planning decision making more than ever, defining the future of work as we know it. Hear four executive space planning leaders discuss the future of space planning.
The Benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Space Planning
Planning and optimizing the use of physical space is critically important. Learn how AI for Space Planning can help.
Still Counting People? You May Be Missing the Forest For the Trees
Let's face it, Portfolio-level decisions require portfolio-level data and sensors won't scale to meet the data needs.
Beware the Codependent Occupancy Platform: The Wi-Fi marriage you never expected
Beware the bundle! Occupancy Analytics has become a critical data point for Real Estate leaders but the allure of bundling Technolgies can lead you down a long road.
What is Occupancy Utilization?
Businesses and Real Estate leaders across the board are looking for hard data to validate the rising costs of maintaining an office. Learn what occupancy utilization is and why its become the number 1 metric for real estate leaders.
What are Workspace Utilization Metrics?
Unlock the secrets of efficient workspace management and get the answers to common questions
about workspace utilization metrics in this article.
A New Way to Measure the Dynamic Workplace
Employees are back - sort of. Hybrid work makes share ratios more complicated. You need a way to validate office utilization.
What is Office Space Planning Software?
Space Planners need better tools to create the future of workplace design. Enter Office Space Planning Software.
Need Reliable Space Utilization Data? Don’t Build it Yourself.
An in-house team may be able to access device data in network management tools, but it takes more than a list of devices to understand occupancy across spaces.
What is a Space Planner?
Space Planners are at the forefront of the future of work, but what exactly is it that they do? Find out!
What is Occupancy Analytics?
Occupancy analytics is a data-driven approach to understanding how and when spaces are utilized.
ETSU Takes Campus Space Planning to the Next Level
East Tennessee State University deployed Lambent Spaces for unbiased data to drive critical campus space planning decisions.
Restacking the Workplace: Maximizing ROI and Employee Well-Being
Restacking projects are often connected to new business and workplace strategies that revitalize the office environment and invigorate the employees who use it.
Wi-Fi’s Role in Space Planning
Wireless connectivity is so common we take it for granted--so it's easy to overlook the role it can play in understanding occupancy. At Lambent, our goal is to turn this overlooked source into data gold for space planning. This post answers common questions around how wireless signals lead to the occupancy insights.
Fall 2023 Tests Return to Office Plans
Fall 2023 is shaping up as the true test of return to office plans. Workplace Experience managers and Corporate Real Estate leaders must work together to answer the critical questions linked to lease costs, utilization, and creating enthusiasm for return to office.
Data-Driven Decisions at UTK’s Campus Student Union
UTK's Alison Ward talks with Lambent Spaces Higher Education specialist Sue Bork on a Lambent-Microsoft Smart Campus Planning webinar.
Campus Space Planning: 4 FAQs
William & Mary Director of Space Planning Tim Russell talks about the top challenges facing university space planners today.
New Graduates Want an Office Experience – And it Better be Good
The Class of 2023 is ready to work - in an office. New graduates say they value networking opportunities and the ability to collaborate and socialize.
6 Reports Critical to Campus Space Planning
Campus Space Planning teams field requests, complaints and feedback from just about every department and official on campus. To enable strategic campus space planning – with unbiased data – is critical. Here are some of the types of reports that Lambent Spaces can help you surface.
The Power of Well-Planned Office Spaces
Office spaces play a crucial role in shaping productivity and employee well-being. While empty office spaces can detract from productivity, well-planned work environments with individual and collaborative spaces have the potential to support creativity, collaboration, and sustainability. In this blog post, the Lambent team explores the benefits of thoughtful office space planning and highlights some innovative spaces that have successfully adapted to the changing needs of U.S. companies.
Optimizing Hybrid Work Strategies with Smart Space Planning
Spring 2023 data shows employers are settling into their hybrid strategies, where many employees are in the office 2-3 days a week.
The pressure is on for more flexible, collaborative spaces with improved amenities for employees commuting to the office. At the same time, business leaders say they don't have the data they need to move forward
CRE Leaders Focus on Utilization Rates as No. 1 Guiding Factor
The latest CBRE research reveals utilization as the top metric Corporate Real Estate (CRE) leaders prioritize when considering portfolio performance. Utilization locked in the top spot for the second consecutive year, landing in front of Cost Per Seat and Seat Density – two drill-down metrics.
Make Your IWMS Smarter with Occupancy Intelligence
A new study says utilization is now the top-rated metric for guiding Real Estate portfolio management. To get reliable data, CRE leaders are looking at ways to augment their IWMS solutions.
Flex Space Not so Simple a Request
Multi-purpose spaces are a hot topic for Space Planning teams on corporate and higher education campuses – but it takes more than a snap of your fingers to give a space an entirely new purpose. Read on to find out common challenges and benefits, and how a data-driven approach can help.
Space Utilization Software: Reasons to Buy (Not Build) in Higher Education
Do-it-yourself (DIY) software projects on campuses makes sense – at first glance but, as many DIY project team leaders on higher education campuses will tell you, it requires a close second look
5 Higher Ed Campus Space Planning Trends to Watch
We sat with Real Estate and Space Planning leaders on the college campus to predict the top five trends we can expect in Higher Ed real estate in 2023
Why Higher Ed Institutions Need SaaS Space Planning Software
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are building out more types of campus spaces to differentiate their brand and outpace their competitors.
What you need to know about Occupancy Sensors
As students and employees returned to buildings and offices, sensors were an obvious choice for many administrators
Higher Education Grapples with Hybrid Work and Smart Space Planning
Three critical themes emerged from our recent Lambent webinar “Flexibility for the Future: Strategic Campus Planning” featuring Marc Fournier, Georgetown
CoreNet Key Takeaways: Put People and Collaboration First
Remember when Real Estate was all about Location, Location, Location. Well, if the recent CoreNet Global North America Summit
3 Ways Badge Data Falls Short In Space Planning
If you've ever been issued a corporate badge for building access at your college or workspace, chances are you've accidentally let someone in after you.
Live Celebrations Are Back This Award Season
Lambent, formerly Armored Things, has received a host of accolades for innovation, facilities management, platform excellence, and contributions to the AI field. Here is a recap of achievements for Lambent.
How AI Makes Space Planning Tools Smarter
The challenges posed by flexible workspaces are outpacing the space planning tools used for occupancy management
Workspace Design Strategy
Workspace design strategy isn’t what it used to be. Hybrid work, remote work, and the increased demand for mixed-use
Armored Things Expands Space Planning & Analytics Platform, Rebrands as Lambent
Boston, MA – September 27, 2022 – Armored Things, a leading provider of AI software for smart space
Predictive Space Analytics For Portfolio Management
Corporate facilities leaders are focused on optimizing attendance and deciphering how to provide accommodations that employees actually need.
The Evolution of People-Counting Technology for Space Management
There are four people sitting in a room designed to hold fifty. Does it matter? Strategic Space Planners
Quiet Quitting: The New Workplace Trend
It’s viral, it’s the latest work trend, and it’s called Quiet Quitting. It is the idea of refusing
Campus Space Planning Challenges to Think About This Fall
Universities are becoming aware of the need for more space as students get ready to return to campus
6 Things To Know About The New Workplace Experience
The rules for the new workplace experience are still being written. Employers are walking a fine line as
Collegiate Esports Need Spaces Too!
Although a lot of parents argue that video games aren’t good for their children, it’s possible all that
Why Are Companies Investing In Workplace Analytics?
It’s unpredictable, unprecedented – and sometimes it can feel unmanageable. That’s the new workplace, where corporate leaders are
Five Ways Companies Are Facilitating Return To Office Plans
COVID cases have dropped, the world has reopened – and so have most office buildings – but there’s
Walk This Way
The Purposeful Intent “Walk this Way” event in New York City brought together leaders in corporate real estate across industries
Want Real Experience? Work For A Startup
I wasn’t sure what to expect for my first co-op or even what I wanted. As a communications
Hybrid, Shybrid – And Now It’s Summer
Everyone’s heard of remote and hybrid work models, but what about the “shybrid” approach? The term “shybrid” was
NFMT Women In Facilities Management 2022 Coverage
The May Women in FM annual (virtual) event, hosted by NFMT and sponsored by Lambent, brought together leading
Space Planning Job Market Sizzles
In Minneapolis, Wells Fargo, Inc. wants a Space Planner who is able to review and resolve all space
Deferred Maintenance: Costly, Risky, and Common
Deferring maintenance and repairs may appear to save corporations and organizations money in the short term, but the
Spotlight On Higher Education Space Planning Teams
Strategic Space Planning teams in higher education are increasingly pressured to help design flexible, dynamic spaces to meet
CRE Management: From The Back Office To The Front Pages
Long underserved by the technology sector and sometimes sidelined by corporate leadership, Corporate Real Estate (CRE) leaders have
6 Things Facilities Directors Will Tackle In 2022
Directors of facilities are no strangers to the many struggles and responsibilities that come with their job titles,
Return To Office Means Rethinking Space Management
Corporations are facing the twofold challenge of having to reshape both physical offices and employee attitudes as they
A Software-First Approach To Counting People
Smart space management has elbowed its way to the top of priority lists at corporate office buildings and
Bringing Them Back: Campus Management Focused on Risk Mitigation
Despite the surge in COVID cases over the recent months, colleges are determined to learn to coexist with the virus.
Workspace Analytics Is Critical For Hybrid Work
Data indicates that organizations plan to continue a hybrid work model for the near term. A Mercer survey last May found
Importance of Coming Together in Covid: Student Co-Op Review
My student co-op search was no simple one; I spent months patrolling the Northeastern University database looking for
Space Utilization: Defining The Basics
When it comes to reopening corporate spaces, there are still many unknowns. Should I renew my prior lease?
Occupancy Analytics In Higher Education
When students returned to campuses and classes this fall, many colleges and universities found themselves at opposite ends
Why DIY? Reasons to Buy or Build
CIOs and other organizational decision-makers are looking past the so-called digital sprints of 2020 and planning on transformation
Resilient Coders: Social Justice Through Economic Empowerment
Resilient Coders, a nonprofit coding bootcamp, strives for social justice through economic empowerment —specifically through high-tech jobs. What
Space Utilization: Clicker Studies vs. AI-Driven Software
At corporations and universities across the country, you can still find facility managers making space utilization decisions manually.
5 Questions Employees Are Asking Around Office Reopening Policies
As the effects of the COVID19 pandemic continue to be felt deep into 2021, companies are still wrestling
How Spatial Representation Can Bring Density Data to Life
With higher education back on campus and employees returning (slowly) to offices and corporate campuses, we can look
Three Considerations For Creating Flexible Architecture
Flexible architecture design allows buildings and spaces to evolve over time. As technology and the way we work
4 Tips to Reshape the New Workplace
This summer several high-end tech companies – Google, Apple, Facebook, and Twitter to name a few – have pushed back
Real-World Crowd Intelligence Value at Your Campus or Venue
When I talk to partners and clients around the globe, I hear two common threads, whether it’s a
CIO Q&A: Michael Gabriel on COVID-19 Reopen Plans
Michael Gabriel is a former EVP & CIO at HBO—you can thank him for creating and executing HBO GO—and
Expert Advice on Planning a Reopen Strategy
Morgan Mosher is senior principal at T3 Advisors, the global real estate and workplace solutions company focused on technology and
Higher Ed Reopen Strategies: Flexing Space on Campus
Flexible, hybrid (online and in-person) learning environments. Early start dates, no holiday travel, and at-home exams. With summer
CIO Q&A: JLL Technologies’ Eddy Wagoner on Reopen Strategies
JLL Technologies Executive Director and Chief Digital Information Officer Edward Wagoner has a unique view of COVID-19 reopen strategies through his
Reopen Software: 6 Things To Know Before You Buy
Workplace distancing. Crowd density. Occupancy, vacancy, capacity. Welcome to the new language of reopening campuses and venues around
Internship Advice: Why Everyone Should Work at a Startup
“Keeping people safe where they work and play” – That slogan drew me to apply for a software engineering
Facilities Management Checklist: Logistics, Density, Analytics
Before COVID-19, facilities managers were already working in two worlds, combining a nuts-and-bolts understanding of building operations with
Employee Spotlight: Josh Hartley, Chief Architect
Josh Hartley, Chief Architect at Lambent is a playful balance between fun and serious. Passionate about both programming