Why CAT A+ Isn’t Always the Smarter Workplace Solution
For years, CAT A+ has been positioned as the answer to a faster, easier office move.
A fitted, furnished workspace.
Ready to move into.
Less upfront decision making.
Less perceived risk.
On paper, it sounds ideal.
But in practice, many businesses are discovering the same issue after moving in:
The space simply doesn’t work for how their teams actually operate.
And that creates a much bigger problem than inconvenience. It creates waste.
What Is CAT A+?
CAT A+ sits somewhere between a traditional CAT A and a fully bespoke fit out.
Typically, a landlord delivers:
Furniture
Meeting rooms
Teapoints
Finishes
Basic branding opportunities
Plug-and-play functionality
The idea is to help occupiers move quickly without investing heavily in design and build.
For some businesses, particularly smaller teams with short lease terms, that can absolutely make sense.
But the challenge comes when CAT A+ is treated as a universal solution.
Because workplaces are not universal.
The “One Size Fits All” Problem
No two organisations work in exactly the same way.
Some teams need high collaboration and movement.
Others need deep focus and acoustic privacy.
Some businesses rely heavily on client interaction.
Others operate almost entirely digitally.
Yet many CAT A+ spaces are designed around generic workplace assumptions:
A standard desk ratio
A standard meeting room setup
A standard kitchen layout
A standard flow through the space
The result is often a workplace that looks functional, but doesn’t genuinely support the people using it.
And teams notice quickly.
Common Issues Businesses Experience After Moving Into CAT A+
Meeting rooms constantly fully booked
Lack of quiet spaces for focused work
Poor circulation and flow
Teams avoiding certain areas entirely
No real sense of company culture or identity
Spaces designed for appearance rather than behaviour
Underused collaboration areas
Not enough flexibility as the business evolves
In many cases, companies end up adapting the space only months after moving in.
Walls move.
Furniture gets replaced.
Layouts are reconfigured.
Entire areas are rebuilt.
Which raises an important question:
Was it actually the more sustainable option in the first place?
The Sustainability Contradiction
CAT A+ is often discussed as an efficient solution.
But efficiency and sustainability are not always the same thing.
If a business moves into a space that ultimately needs substantial reworking, the environmental impact increases dramatically:
Additional construction works
More material waste
Furniture replacement
Increased embodied carbon
Repeat labour and logistics
Operational disruption
A workplace that is “ready to go” but wrong for the occupier can quickly become more wasteful than starting with a carefully considered blank canvas.
The most sustainable workplace is rarely the one delivered fastest.
It’s the one designed properly for long-term use.
When CAT A+ Does Work
CAT A+ is not inherently bad.
In the right scenario, it can be highly effective.
It may work well for:
Small businesses needing speed
Short-term leases
Swing space during transitions
Businesses with highly standardised working styles
Companies prioritising immediate occupancy over long-term optimisation
The issue is not CAT A+ itself.
The issue is using it without fully understanding whether it aligns with the organisation moving into it.
Workplace Design Should Start With Behaviour
The best workplaces are not built around trends.
They are built around people.
That means understanding:
How teams collaborate
How often people are actually in the office
What work requires focus vs interaction
How leadership wants culture to feel
What behaviours the space should encourage
How the business may evolve over time
Without that thinking, workplace design becomes aesthetic guesswork.
And expensive guesswork rarely ages well.
Sometimes a Blank Canvas Is the Smarter Choice
A traditional CAT A space can initially feel like more work.
More decisions.
More planning.
More upfront investment.
But it also creates the opportunity to build a workplace intentionally rather than retrospectively fixing one that never truly fit.
Because ultimately, a workplace should not just be occupied.
It should perform.
And performance rarely comes from a one-size-fits-all solution.
