IMPACT OF WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT ON USERS

IMPACT OF OFFICE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT ON USERSARCHITECTURAL PROJECTNISHA MATHRANI FOURTH YEAR GEN

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INTRODUCTION The amount of time that people spend in the workplace has provoked interest in the relationship between the environment and users. Duffy (1992), who has conducted a significant amount of research into the impact of the workplace environment with international business consultants DEGW, argues that you cannot get good work out of a bad office. The changing nature of workplace environments also indicates that those responsible for determining the design believe there to be a link between the workplace environment and users. To fully understand the impact of the workplace environment, a conclusive and comprehensive evidence base is necessary to inform design. The evidence base will allow decisions to be made based upon knowledge about the impact of the environment.

Currently there is insufficient conclusive evidence readily available to demonstrate good practice in terms of office workplace design. To inform and develop a stronger evidence base, further research and into the impact of the workplace environment is necessary. As architects do not always get the opportunity to occupy and use the buildings they design, the assumptions they make about the performance of buildings may be inaccurate. They do not test these assumptions against the findings of research and evidence. The difference in ratings or perceptions of a building between architects and lay people has been reported by a number of researchers (for example Hershberger, 1969; Hubbard, 1996; Wilson, 1996). The findings of their work demonstrated that architects and lay people rate the built environment using different criteria therefore they demonstrate preferences for different buildings or aspects of buildings. Thus, to provide architects and space planners with adequate understanding of the impact of the environment, systematic evaluations are required.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

AIMTo demonstrate that a well designed office workspace environment can have a positive impact on employee health and comfort.

OBJECTIVESTo develop an approach that allows holistic evaluations of the workplaceenvironment to be conducted. Both objective measures and user perceptions will be measured in relation to a wide range of aspects of the workplace.To use the approach to conduct an evaluation of the workplace environment in 3 different types of office workplaces to identify patterns and trends/differences relating to the impact of the workplace.

RESEARCH QUESTIONSDo different kinds of workplaces have a different impact on people?What are the stresses that people deal with in these offices?Are the stresses different from each other in different workplaces?What are the qualitative aspects of a workplace?Is there a correlation between employee comfort and productivity and qualitative aspects of the office environment?Does incorporation of nature in offices affect employee comfort and productivity?

SCOPE & LIMITATIONResearch will focus on correlation between qualitative aspects of workplace and productivity and health of employee.Different people may experience the same space differently however it may not be possible to study the different cultural backgrounds of the people.There are too many possible design variations and combinations to be tested experimentally.Workplace environment is complex and it may not be possible to study all aspects of the environment.

METHODOLOGYConsult a psychologist and form a relevant questionnaire.Identify three types of office workplaces. (eg. Architectural office, IT office, call centre)Conduct interviews, surveys at these workplaces.Observe participants in their workplace environments.Study the qualitative aspects of the environment.Compare and analyze the data.EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The output of the study will help architects and space planners to design office workplaces that will have a positive impact on user comfort and productivity.

REFERENCESThomas, Jenny (2011) An Holistic Evaluation of the Workplace. Understanding the Impact of the Workplace Environment on Satisfaction, Perceived Productivity and Stimulation. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University.Cooper , Rachel; Boyko, Cristopher; Codinhoto, Ricardo. The effect of physical environment on mental wellbeing. Mental Capital and Wellbeing.