Office Vastu: Layout, Seating and What Is Classical

For an office, popular Vastu says the entrance should be in the north, east or north-east, the owner’s cabin in the south-west with the owner facing north or east, the pantry in the south-east and the toilets in the north-west or west. Almost all of that is modern. The classical texts we read describe sites, towns, temples and houses, and they say nothing about an office floor. What they do give, a considered entrance and a cared-for centre, carries over well and costs nothing.

Most people reading this lease their space, share a floor with others and cannot move a wall. This page is written for that reader.

What the classical texts do and do not say

The nearest classical statement is the Brihat Samhita’s verse naming four rooms of a house, which puts the treasury and the granary in the north-west (53.118). Popular office advice places cash and accounts in the north, the quarter of Kubera, the god of wealth. The verse and the modern habit are not the same, so both can be named without choosing between them. The text does not speak of desks, cabins, reception counters or servers.

The entrance has a classical table. The entrance checker works on any door, an office door included, once you take the bearing from the middle of the premises to the door. Read its result as a record of what a sixth-century author said about a house gate, not as a judgement on your company. The entrance article says what the table does and does not cover.

The popular layout, labelled

Some of the ideas have a practical reading, which is our own and given as such. A head who sits in a corner with a wall behind sees the room and is not approached from behind. Staff who face away from the afternoon glare can see their screens. A pantry away from the quiet zone keeps smells and noise apart. These are reasons to arrange a room well, and a compass is not needed for them.

A practical checklist

Where there is a choice, rank these above any direction.

• Light. Place desks so daylight comes from the side, not from behind the screen. Use blinds on the sunny side.
• Seating. Keep a wall or partition behind people who work with their backs to a door, so that no one is startled from behind.
• Air. Open windows where the building allows. Check that the air conditioning is serviced and that the pantry has an extractor.
• Noise. Put calls and meetings away from heads-down work.
• Exits. Keep fire exits clear, signed and unlocked. No layout rule overrides this.
• Access. Keep aisles wide enough for a wheelchair and keep the way to a toilet step-free where you can.
• The middle. Keep the central walkway open, as in the guide to the brahmasthan.
• The door. Make the entrance clean, lit and easy to find. The same rule applies in the remedies guide.

If you are choosing a new space

You have the most freedom before signing. A short list of points is worth more than a compass reading.

1. Visit at the busiest time of day and note noise, light and crowding.
2. Check the lift, stairs and accessible routes.
3. Look at which windows get hot afternoon sun.
4. Find where the plumbing stack and the electrical room are, because they decide where a pantry and a server can go.
5. Check the lease for what you may and may not alter.

If the premises also happen to face a favourable direction by the checker, treat it as a pleasant extra.

What cannot be changed, and what helps

Most of it cannot. The lift core, the toilets, the pantry connections and the entrance are fixed by the building, and a tenant has no right to move them. A lease usually forbids structural change, and none of the verses we read would ask you to make one.

What helps costs little. Place the head of the team where they can see the room and sit with a wall behind them, if you like that arrangement. Arrange the reception so that visitors are met at once. Put the cash drawer and the files in a locked, tidy place. Keep the pantry clean and the central walkway free. If you want a personal touch, a small lamp or a plant on the reception desk is harmless, and the plants guide explains what to expect from one.

Shared offices and co-working

In a co-working space you control a desk. The meaningful choices are small: the direction your chair faces, whether you have a window, what is behind you, and how much noise reaches you. Direction rules do not scale down to a desk, so use the practical list above. If you like to face east or north while you work, a desk by that wall is a free preference and not a requirement.

A word on promises

No office layout will bring you contracts, promotions or profit, and you should be wary of any consultant who says otherwise. If a reading frightens you, or says the premises are unlucky and need correcting, ask for the verse. The guide to Vastu for workplaces explains why this site treats workplace rules with extra care. If the real worry is a struggling business, the answer lies with a financial adviser, not a floor plan.

Frequently asked questions