Who must comply?
The design rules apply to the client (maître d'ouvrage) who builds or fits out buildings intended to accommodate workers, whether or not these operations require a building permit (French Labour Code, art. R4211-1). A company fitting out its own floor is therefore covered.
Daylight and lighting
Buildings are designed and laid out so that natural light can be used in workplaces, except where the technical nature of the activities prevents it (art. R4213-2).
Minimum illuminance levels while workers are present (art. R4223-4):
| Premises | Regulatory minimum |
|---|---|
| Internal circulation routes | 40 lux |
| Stairs and warehouses | 60 lux |
| Work premises, changing rooms, toilets | 120 lux |
| Windowless premises used for permanent work | 200 lux |
These values are minimums. For writing, reading and data processing, the voluntary standard NF EN 12464-1 sets a maintained average illuminance of 500 lux, raised to 1,000 lux for optimal visual comfort (INRS, the French occupational health and safety institute).
Ventilation
With mechanical ventilation, the minimum fresh-air flow rate is 25 m³ per hour per occupant in offices and premises without physical work, and 30 m³ per hour per occupant in meeting, sales and dining premises (art. R4222-6). With natural ventilation through openings alone, the minimum volume per occupant is 15 m³ for offices (art. R4222-5).
In practice: densifying a floor or turning an office into a meeting room must also be checked against ventilation.
Toilets and dining facilities
The number of toilets and urinals depends on headcount: at least one toilet and one urinal for 20 men, and two toilets for 20 women, the headcount used being the maximum number of workers present at the same time (art. R4228-10).
In establishments with at least 50 employees, the employer provides a staff dining room, after obtaining the opinion of the works council (CSE) (art. R4228-22).
Accessibility
Workplaces fitted out in a new building or in the new part of an existing building are accessible to people with disabilities, whatever their type of disability (art. R4214-26). In existing buildings, the workstations, toilets and dining facilities likely to be used by workers with disabilities are arranged so that they can access them easily; the workstations and the safety signals that concern them are adapted if their disability requires it (art. R4225-6). If the offices receive members of the public, the accessibility rules for buildings open to the public (ERP) also apply.
The maintenance file
When the premises are taken over, and at the latest within the following month, the client gives the users a workplace maintenance file (art. R4211-3). It is prepared during the works, with the contractors.
Fire safety
Office buildings are subject to fire safety rules specific to workplaces (French Labour Code, art. R4216-1 et seq., excluding high-rise buildings) and, if they receive members of the public, to the ERP regulations. These rules are checked on every project: compartmentation, escape routes, emergency exits, smoke extraction, emergency lighting. Offices open to the public.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum number of square metres per employee?
The articles presented here do not set a minimum floor area per office workstation. It is ventilation, lighting, toilets, escape routes and workstation ergonomics that, together, limit density.