AWMS-2-D13
Dual dynamic arms on a short post 8kg per arm · up to 38-inchTwo screens on one post with concealed cable management and an optional 180-degree rotation limiter, a good fit for bench rows.
SEE AWMS-2-D13
Free monitor arm, yours to keep
Try it on a real desk before you lock in the layout
Test an Atdec arm with your own monitors and your own desks, then take what you learn into the floor plan.
- 1Talk us through your workplaceWe'll call for a few details on the desks, monitors, monitors per desk.
- 2Your unit arrivesInstall it on a desk bank and see how the screens sit in your layout.
- 3Make the case for rolloutWe'll give you specifications, warranty details and case studies to take your recommendation through purchasing.
Installed in workplaces includingMacquarie Bank · MinterEllison · Dicker Data · Service NSW
Request your free monitor arm
Why IT belongs in office space planning
Office space planning usually starts with the designer, the property team and a headcount. IT often joins once the desks are drawn.
By then, the choices that matter most to IT are hard to change. Where the power and data come up, how deep the desks are, whether a desk bank has a spine for cables and which way the screens face the windows are all set by the floor plan.
Getting into the room early means the mounting standard, the cable routes and the screen positions are planned with the desks, not fitted around them afterwards. Spacing, egress and compliance remain with your fit-out designer.
Office layout ideas and what each means for screens
Four common desk layouts in an open plan office, with what each one asks of monitors and mounts.
Layout
Bench rows
Long, straight desk banks with people facing each other across a shared spine. Dense and efficient, and the most common open plan office design.
- Screens sit back to back, so a 180-degree rotation limit stops arms swinging into the person opposite
- Post-mounted dual arms keep two screens on one fixing point
- Cables run along the spine, so plan the cable tray with the desk supplier
Layout
Pods of four
Small clusters of desks, often in a cross or square, that give teams a clear home on the floor.
- Screens face into the pod, so reach and rotation need to stay clear of the screen beside them
- Power and data usually come up at the centre, which keeps cable runs short
- Single arms suit laptop plus one screen, duals suit heavier screen users
Layout
Perimeter desks
Desks along the outer walls or glazing, often single rows, with circulation and shared space in the middle.
- Watch for glare, since screens near windows are the hardest to keep clear
- Single arms with long reach let people angle a screen away from the light
- Check the wall or window line for power and data access before desks are fixed
Layout
Mixed floor
A combination of bench rows for open teams, pods for project groups and perimeter desks near the windows.
- The most flexible layout, and the one most likely to collect different mounts over time
- One arm family across every desk type keeps spares and installs simple
- Count screens by desk type, not by head, when you order
Open plan office checklist for IT
Six things to check on the floor plan before the desks are ordered.
- Density and spacingDesk widths, depths and aisle spacing set how far screens can reach and rotate. Confirm the clearances with your fit-out designer.
- Power and data runsMark where floor boxes, spines and above-desk power sit on each desk bank, so docks and screens can reach them without extension leads.
- Sightlines and window glareScreens facing a window, or with one directly behind them, are the hardest to keep clear. Desk rows at right angles to the glazing usually help.
- Cable management along desk banksRoute cables from the spine, up the post and through the arm, so the work surface stays clear. See our cable management hacks.
- Desk construction and fixingsCheck the desktop thickness, edge access and any cable ports, then choose a clamp or grommet fixing to suit. Read about the importance of desk construction.
- The mounting standardPick one arm family for the whole floor, and check each monitor's weight without its stand and its VESA pattern, usually 75x75 or 100x100.
Deciding between a post with two arms or separate arms for each screen? Our article on post or separate monitor arms compares the two for desk banks.
Monitor arms for desk banks and open plan floors
Three arms that cover the common layouts, from dual screens on bench rows to single screens on perimeter desks.
AW-ORA-F-B
Ora with F-clamp 2 to 8kg · up to 38-inchA single arm with long reach for pods and perimeter desks, so people can angle the screen away from window light.
SEE AW-ORA-F-B
AWMS-2-4640
Dual swing arms on a medium post 12kg flat, 10kg curved · up to 32-inchA higher weight rating for desk banks with heavier screens, in white for light desk finishes.
SEE AWMS-2-4640Browse the full range of monitor arms and desk mounts, or see how a vertical monitor setup works on bench rows.
One system across the whole floor
Whatever the office layout, a single mounting system means IT supports one range across every desk bank.
One arm family for every desk
Single monitor arm solution for any combination of landscape and portrait monitors, so IT stocks one system for the whole floor.
Rotation where you want it
Rotation can be locked to 180 degrees or left free to turn a full 360, so arms and screens stop where IT sets them.
Quick to install at scale
Generous cable management bays, drop-on VESA head, post guide marks, and visual tension indication.
Easy to get approved
A 10-year warranty, local stock and engineering support, from an Australian-owned company designing mounts since 1998.
Case study
How Gilbert + Tobin planned four open plan floors
About 500 people moved into 9,500 sqm over four floors at Barangaroo. Atdec supplied 450 mounts for two monitors and a laptop, with rotation limiters so arms don't hit the partition behind the screens, plus 450 above-desk power modules.
Read the case studyAlso installed at Macquarie Bank, MinterEllison, Dicker Data and Service NSW. Planning a larger rollout? Read our guide to monitor arm rollouts for corporate offices.
Office layout questions
What should IT check on an office layout plan?
Start with where power and data come up on each desk bank, because that sets how far docks, screens and cables have to travel. Then check desk depth and spacing against the reach and rotation of the arms you plan to use. Look at which desks face or back onto windows, since those screens are the hardest to keep free of glare. Finally, agree one mounting standard so every desk type uses the same arm family.
Which open plan office layout works best for monitors?
There is no single best layout, but each one has clear needs. Bench rows fit the most desks into a floor and work well with post-mounted dual arms and a rotation limit, because screens sit back to back. Pods give teams a defined home and keep cable runs short. Perimeter desks need the most care with glare, so single arms with long reach help people angle screens away from the light.
How do we manage cables along desk banks?
Plan cable routes with the desk supplier while the layout is still on paper. On bench rows, cables usually run along a central spine or tray, then up through a post and along the arm to the screen. Arms with concealed cable management keep the run tidy from the tray to the monitor. Agree a standard for docks and leads too, so each desk on the bank is wired the same way.
Does the office layout change which monitor arm we choose?
It changes the configuration more than the range. Back-to-back benching suits dual arms on a post with a rotation limiter, while pods and perimeter desks often suit single arms with a clamp. Desk construction matters as well, since thick, thin or bevelled desktops need the right clamp or a grommet fixing. Choosing one arm family across every layout keeps spares, training and installation simple.
How do we test a layout before the whole floor is ordered?
Request a free Atdec monitor arm and install it on a desk that matches your planned layout, ideally on a bench row near a window. Our team calls first to match the arm to your screens. Check reach, rotation and cable routing in place, and ask the people using it how easy it is to adjust. When you're ready, we'll give you specifications, warranty details and case studies to take your recommendation through purchasing.
Prove it on a real desk before you lock in the layout
Request a free Atdec monitor arm to test with your monitors and your team. It's yours to keep. We'll call first to match the arm to your screens, so you can judge it on a real desk before you set the standard for the whole floor.