Enterprise Space Management & Hotelling Across Major BC Health Authorities

This case study highlights how four major health authorities in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland leveraged Archibus to manage enterprise-wide space planning and hotelling across a 35-million-square-foot real estate portfolio. In response to post-COVID hybrid work pressures, the facilities team rapidly deployed Archibus hotelling out of the box, enabling consistent desk-sharing for more than 7,000 users while maintaining centralized space inventory and visual floor plans. The scalable approach supported multiple sites and program-level rules without added complexity, delivered improved utilization insights through booking data, and established a reliable foundation for long-term real estate strategy and cost containment across multiple health authorities.

Sector: Healthcare
Role: Facilities & Real Estate Management
Scope: Four major health authorities in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland
Portfolio:

  • 35 million square feet
  • Multiple corporate office buildings
  • 7,000+ active desk-sharing users

The Challenge

Like many large healthcare organizations, this group of BC health authorities faced rapid workplace change following COVID-19. Hybrid work models, physical distancing requirements, and government mandates around real estate efficiency created new pressure to:

  • Understand how office space was being used
  • Support desk sharing across multiple programs and sites
  • Avoid leasing or acquiring additional space
  • Maintain centralized, accurate space inventory and floor plans

At the same time, the organization needed a solution that could scale across multiple health authorities, each with different operational rules, without introducing unnecessary complexity.

The Approach

The facilities team leveraged Archibus as their enterprise platform for space inventory, floor plans, and space planning—capabilities they had relied on for over two decades.

As hybrid work emerged, they adopted Archibus hotelling (desk sharing) out of the box, enabling:

  • Rapid deployment with minimal configuration
  • A pilot-first approach that scaled organically across sites
  • Consistent desk-sharing workflows across a large real estate footprint

Single sign-on through Active Directory ensured quick adoption, eliminating the need for additional logins and reducing friction for staff.

As the program expanded, selective configuration and customization supported the following:

  • Multiple sites
  • Different program-level rules
  • Enterprise-wide consistency without forcing uniformity

The Results

Using Archibus, the organization achieved:

  • Enterprise-wide visibility into space inventory and desk-sharing activity
  • Support for 7,000+ shared desks across corporate offices
  • Improved utilization insights using booking and check-in data—without deploying sensors
  • A scalable foundation for real estate strategy and cost containment
  • The ability to support multiple health authorities on a shared platform

While advanced analytics and real-time data are not yet in place, Archibus provides a reliable, visual, and centralized system that supports informed planning and decision-making.

Why Archibus?

The organization values Archibus for its strengths:

  • Space inventory and floor plans
  • Visual space management and planning
  • Flexibility to support large, complex portfolios

Rather than forcing a single system to do everything, the team prefers integrating Archibus with other best-of-breed enterprise tools—keeping the platform focused on what it does best.

Looking Ahead

With a strong foundation in place, the organization continues to evaluate future enhancements around utilization, booking flexibility, and long-term real estate optimization—using Archibus as the backbone of their space management strategy.

“Archibus gives us a reliable, enterprise-grade foundation for managing space across an extensive healthcare portfolio. It allows us to support desk sharing, maintain accurate floor plans, and make informed real estate decisions—without overcomplicating the environment.”

– Director, Facilities Systems and Support at Major BC Health Authority