The Standards for Reusing Existing Facilities in Office Interior Work

When you're moving into an office that still carries the previous tenant's fit-out, or renovating the office you're already in, how much of the existing facility can you reuse? Anyone preparing an office relocation or renewal has to settle that question at some point. SPACEBASE looks for what can be reused first, even when the client approves a full teardown. The reason is to spend the budget efficiently and cut down on construction waste. Take a look at what SPACEBASE kept and what it removed at two sites, and the criteria behind those calls.

UnivTomorrow wanted to solve the aging facilities of a building completed in 2000 through interior work. This piece covers the shared 7th floor that every employee uses. With the filming studio moving out to a separate location, the company decided to add more café space and meeting rooms.

SAIGE, founded in 2017, specializes in industrial automation with AI-based machine vision solutions. It had been using two floors, and as headcount grew, it moved into a 270-pyeong (about 893 m²) space, taking over the previous tenant's fit-out. The space it took over showed little wear and was in clean condition. Almost nothing was missing. Both clients had worked with SPACEBASE before.

UnivTomorrow and SPACEBASE also worked together on a headquarters project. That process is laid out in Office Design That Connects Generations, UnivTomorrow ES Headquarters ① and Unseen Preparation Decides a Good Headquarters, UnivTomorrow ES Headquarters ②.

Standard 1. Keep facilities that would require relocating piping or wiring if removed

Remove a facility that carries piping and wiring inside it, like a ceiling or a floor, and you need extra work to relocate that piping and wiring. At two sites, UnivTomorrow and RLWRLD, SPACEBASE kept facilities like these in place and decided what to change in the areas outside them.

Case 1. UnivTomorrow's shared 7th floor

The shared floor had a black metal lath ceiling. Electrical conduit and HVAC piping ran inside the ceiling, so removing it would mean relocating all of that piping. That would push construction costs up sharply. Because of that cost, the ceiling wasn't torn out.

The shared floor at UnivTomorrow before the renewal. Bookshelves and a sofa sit under the black metal lath ceiling.

The same spot after the renewal. The metal lath ceiling at the edges was left as is, and a new ceiling plane was hung above the carpeted zone.

Splitting the floor and ceiling finishes into zones separated the circulation. In the zone with more conversation, a carpet was laid, adding sound absorption as well.

The carpeted zone and the light-toned floor passage are divided with no wall between them.

The circulation that used to tangle up in front of the café was divided with a tall planter.

In front of the café before the renewal. The ordering spot and the passage run together on a single floor.

The same spot after the renewal. A tall planter screens the space between the seating zone and the passage.

With the logo changing, the sign wall was replaced too. The subsidiary logos were mounted together below the new logo.

The sign wall before the renewal. Only a single logo was mounted on one white wall surface.

The replaced sign wall. The subsidiary logos are mounted side by side below the logo.

On the shared floor, the existing wall and ceiling structure was left in place.

A wide view of the shared-floor lounge after the renewal. Windows continue beyond the sofa and tables.

SPACEBASE's designer says remodeling alone can change the mood of a space significantly.

At RLWRLD's new office, SPACEBASE kept the existing floor for the same reason. The client requested a new epoxy finish, but removing the access floor that was already laid down would have driven up the construction cost, the construction period, and the scope of demolition all at once, so SPACEBASE proposed finishing over it with PVC tile instead, and that's what was built. The full process is laid out in From the Server Room to the Robot Cell: Everything About IT Office Infrastructure.

Separately from these sites, SPACEBASE's designer says SPACEBASE has reused about 80% of the existing wall base, meaning the studs and gypsum board. That part accounts for the largest share of demolition and construction work.

Standard 2. Check on site whether a taken-over facility can actually be used

Even for a taken-over facility, whether it can actually be used is decided by SPACEBASE checking the dimensions, condition, circulation, and branding color directly on site.

Case 2. SAIGE's office

The office SAIGE took over had a stepped bench. The client wanted to take this bench over as is. When SPACEBASE inspected it on site, the seat height left your legs hanging when you sat down. SPACEBASE proposed tearing it out and rebuilding it, and after checking again, the client agreed it would be hard to use and accepted the proposal. Here's how SPACEBASE's designer explains it: "We always design with standard body dimensions in mind." According to SPACEBASE's designer, a typical stepped bench is built 400–430mm high, measured up to the cushion.

The canteen window-side seating at SAIGE. One side of the seating that runs along the window sits at a higher step.

The main entrance was reconfigured as well. The glass wall that stood in front of the main entrance was torn out, and an open meeting space was created there.

The area in front of the main entrance before the renewal, at the space SAIGE moved into. A glass wall stands on the right side of the corridor.

SAIGE's main entrance with the glass wall removed. A sign wall was set up on the surface you enter through.

The previous tenant had used its own branding color across the entire space, so it was reset to SAIGE's branding color.

The finishes SAIGE took over, still in their original state.

A surface reset to SAIGE's branding color. The color plane runs from the wall tile to the table legs.

SPACEBASE's designer says this about taken-over equipment: "When you take over equipment, problems come up faster, of course. Every object wears down according to how it's been used, and that's only natural." There often aren't construction drawings or material spec lists for the existing facility either, which makes after-service repairs difficult.

The warranty liability period is also something to check. For most finishing work — interior construction, plastering and tiling, painting, and window and door installation — the statutory warranty period under Korean law is one year. The cap is 10 years for structural load-bearing elements and 5 years for everything else, and the period starts from whichever date comes first: completion, or the start of use and management. Any part that wasn't newly built in this project isn't covered by this project's warranty liability.

Standard 3. Decide the scope of work by comparing quotes across multiple options

A project that uses existing facilities is hard to quote by a per-pyeong rate, and hard to budget for as well. That's why clients get quotes for several options with different scopes and choose the scope from there. Reusing facilities doesn't cut construction costs by much. Wall finishes have to be redone regardless, flooring often gets replaced too, and lighting has a service life, so nearly all of it ends up swapped for new.

The existing-finish notes on SAIGE's final drawings, and the enlarged canteen

On SAIGE's final drawings, the finish legend still carries the notation 'APP. 기존 FIN.' in several rooms, while 'APP. CARPET FIN.' appears in only a few. The projector screen and the TV each carry a '(기존)' notation as well. The ceiling legend also separates 'A.C 기존' from 'A.C 이설,' with a note added that it needs to be checked again on site. SAIGE's finish changes appear to have been decided through comparisons like this.

The canteen, on the other hand, where the coffee bar and snack station were short on space, was enlarged.

The coffee bar before the renewal. All the functions were crowded onto a single counter.

The enlarged canteen. The coffee bar and the snack station were given separate spaces, and the layout was rebuilt around the island.

The items SPACEBASE included in its first proposal were reusing the existing glass wall in the meeting area, refilming the open meeting room frame, and repainting the existing OA area. The work went ahead as proposed.

Even after the floor plan is finalized, SPACEBASE's designers keep discussing whether to reuse each element with the project management and construction staff. That process also appears in SPACEBASE Designer Diary, Until the Concept Design Is Complete.

✅ Check before you order the work

✔️ What's left in place — which of the ceiling, floor, built-in furniture, and equipment remain

✔️ Piping and wiring — is there any piping or wiring that would have to be relocated if this is torn out

✔️ Equipment condition — what condition are the plumbing and electrical systems being taken over in

✔️ Built-in furniture — what are its dimensions and its stain condition, and can the stains be repaired

Before building new, start with what you can reuse. Whether you're moving into a space where existing facilities remain or overhauling a space in use, SPACEBASE works with you to go through the reusable elements first, like the UnivTomorrow and SAIGE workspaces.

*Photos and design courtesy of SPACEBASE

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