The Rise of Office Design in High-Performance, Open-Plan Environments

This study aimed to identify key drivers behind workers’ satisfaction, perceived productivity, and health in open-plan offices while at the same time understanding design similarities shared by high-performance workspaces. Results from a dataset comprising a total of 8827 post-occupancy evaluation (POE) surveys conducted in 61 offices in Australia and a detailed analysis of a subset of 18 workspaces (n = 1949) are reported here. Combined, the database-level enquiry and the subset analysis helped identifying critical physical environment-related features with the highest correlation scores for perceived productivity, health, and overall comfort of the work area. Dataset-level analysis revealed large-size associations with spatial comfort, indoor air quality, building image and maintenance, noise distraction and privacy, visual comfort, personal control, and connection to the outdoor environment. All high-performance, open-plan offices presented a human-centered approach to interior design, purposely allocated spaces to support a variety of work-related tasks, and implemented biophilic design principles. These findings point to the importance of interior design in high-performance workspaces, especially in relation to open-plan offices.

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Differences in Occupants’ Satisfaction and Perceived Productivity in High- and Low-Performance Offices

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings9090199 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 199 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Özgür Göçer ◽

Christhina Candido ◽

Leena Thomas ◽

Kenan Göçer

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Working Hours ◽

Personal Control ◽

Outdoor Environment ◽

Test Results ◽

Regression Analyses ◽

Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽

Open Plan ◽

Low Performance ◽

Significant Regression

This paper reports the results from a dataset comprising 9794 post-occupancy evaluation (POE) surveys from 77 Australian open-plan offices. This paper specifically focuses on a sub-set of 20 offices (n = 2133), identified from ranking 10 offices each, with the least (n = 1063) and highest (n = 1070) satisfaction scores, respectively. The satisfaction scores were evaluated on the basis of seven factors (i.e., building/office aesthetics and quality, thermal comfort and indoor air quality, noise distraction and privacy, personal control, connection to outdoor environment, maintenance and visual comfort, and individual space). Using the POE survey data from 20 offices, regression analyses and two-way ANOVA tests were carried out to understand the differences in occupants’ satisfaction and perceived productivity arising from open-plan offices. According to the statistically significant regression analyses results, it was identified that building/office aesthetics and quality (β = 0.55, p < 0.001) and noise distraction and privacy (β = 0.33, p < 0.001) were the two strongest predictors contributing perceived productivity in low-performance offices. Two-way ANOVA test results for the 10 high-performance offices indicate that the perceived productivity was strongly associated with the office’s physical configuration, the employees’ working experience, and the working hours at that office.

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Designing healthy workspaces: results from Australian certified open-plan offices

Facilities ◽

10.1108/f-02-2020-0018 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christhina Candido ◽

Samin Marzban ◽

Shamila Haddad ◽

Martin Mackey ◽

Angela Loder

Keyword(s):

Interior Design ◽

Personal Control ◽

Design Features ◽

Musculoskeletal Discomfort ◽

Content Type ◽

Work Area ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Health Related ◽

Open Plan ◽

Active Design

Purpose From poor indoor environmental quality conditions to musculoskeletal discomfort, the interior design of workspaces has the potential to negatively affect human health. One of the key responses from industry has been the rise of health-related guidelines, certification and rating tools. Despite the rapid adoption of such tools by the Australian high-end corporate real estate, there is a scarcity of empirical evidence arising from such premises. This study aims to compare results from certified premises against other open-plan offices to understand differences arising from occupants’ satisfaction, perceived productivity and health. Design/methodology/approach A total of 1,121 post-occupancy evaluation (POE) surveys conducted in 9 offices were analyzed. All these premises hold a certification from the Green Building Council of Australia and two achieved a WELL rating. The analysis is performed in three parts: comparing WELL-certified (2 cases) and non-WELL certified (7 cases) offices along with comparison with a benchmark of 9,794 POE surveys from the BOSSA database, comparing activity-based working (ABW) (5 cases) and traditional (4 cases) offices along with comparison with BOSSA database and qualitative study of the similar design features in all 9 offices accompanied with an in-depth analysis of the health-related issues that might have occurred because of poor ergonomic design. For the first two parts, several t-tests are performed. Findings Highest scores for overall satisfaction, workability, perceived productivity and health were reported on WELL-rated premises. Offices incorporating active design principles outperformed others on workability, satisfaction with work area, collaboration, unwanted interruptions, perceived productivity and health. ABW environments outperformed the traditional offices on spatial comfort, thermal comfort, noise and privacy, personal control, comfort of furnishing, adjustability of the work area and space to collaborate. People using sit–stand workstations reported spending significantly less time seated and female workers were more prone to reporting pain over the past 12 months. The best-performing offices implemented active and biophilic design, prioritized overall ergonomics and different spaces designed to support a variety of work-related activities. Originality/value This research conducts a comparison between certified premises against other offices in terms of occupants’ satisfaction, perceived productivity and health. A qualitative analysis is also conducted to investigate personal and physical environmental aspects. The way of working (ABW or traditional), implementation of active design features, self-reported musculoskeletal discomfort and physical activity were also investigated. The study has taken a holistic approach to investigate many health-related physical, environmental and emotional aspects in certified workspaces.

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The Role of Personal Control in Alleviating Negative Perceptions in the Open-Plan Workplace

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings8080110 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 110 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Zhonghua Gou ◽

Jian Zhang ◽

Leigh Shutter

Keyword(s):

Interior Design ◽

Physical Environment ◽

Sick Building Syndrome ◽

Personal Control ◽

Space Efficiency ◽

Sick Building ◽

Open Plan ◽

Negative Perceptions ◽

Important Means ◽

Degree Of Control

Today’s office buildings adopt open-plan settings for collaboration and space efficiency. However, the open plan setting has been intensively criticized for its adverse user experiences, such as noise, privacy loss, and over cooling. The provision of personal control in open-plan work environments is an important means to alleviating the adverse perceptions. This research is to investigate the relationship between the availability of personal controls and the degree of control over the physical environment, as well as their effectiveness in alleviating adverse perceptions in open-plan workplaces. The study combined three systematic occupant survey tools and collected responses from open-plan offices in Shenzhen, China. Specifically, this survey covered 12 personal controls in open-plan workplaces; respondents were asked to report their degree of control over the physical environment and also were required to report if they had adverse perceptions such as sick building syndrome in their offices. The results showed that most of the 12 personal controls supported perceived degree of control over the physical environment but only half of them were negatively associated with adverse perceptions. Non-mechanical controls, such as windows and blinds, were found to be more effective than mechanical controls such as fans and air-conditioning in alleviating adverse perceptions. Conflicts were found between task/desk lights and other personal controls. The research generates important evidence for the interior design of open-plan offices.

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Exposure aboard high-performance Marine craft increases musculoskeletal pain and lowers contemporary work capacity of the occupants

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part M Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment ◽

10.1177/1475090220981466 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 147509022098146

Author(s):

Manudul Pahansen de Alwis ◽

Riccardo LoMartire ◽

Björn O Äng ◽

Karl Garme

Keyword(s):

Neck Pain ◽

Musculoskeletal Pain ◽

High Performance ◽

Occupational Exposures ◽

Performance Degradation ◽

Individual Risk ◽

Work Related ◽

Lower Back ◽

And Performance ◽

Exposure Conditions

High-Performance Marine Craft (HPMC) occupants are currently being investigated for various psychophysical impairments degrading work performance postulating that these deteriorations are related to their occupational exposures. However, scientific evidence for this is lacking and the association of exposure conditions aboard HPMC with adverse health and performance effects is unknown. Therefore, the study estimates the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) among HPMC occupants and the association of their work exposure with MSP and performance degradation. It also presents a criterion for evaluating the self-reported exposure severity aboard three different types of mono-hull HPMC; displacement, semi-displacement and planing, on a par with the available standard criteria for objectively measurable exposures. Furthermore, another criterion is proposed to assess the performance-degradation of HPMC occupants based on self-reported fatigue symptoms and MSP. Swedish Coast Guard HPMC occupants were surveyed for MSP, fatigue symptoms as well as for work-related and individual risk indicators using a validated web-based questionnaire. Prevalence of MSP and performance-degradation during the past 12 months were assessed and presented as a percentage of the sample. Associations of exposure conditions aboard HPMC with MSP and performance-capacity were systematically evaluated using multiple logistic regression models and expressed as odds ratio (OR). Prevalence of MSP was 72% among which lower back pain was the most prevalent (46%) followed by neck pain (29%) and shoulder pain (23%) while 29% with degraded performance. Exposure to severe conditions aboard semi-displacement craft was associated with lower back (OR = 2.3) and shoulder (OR = 2.6) pain while severe conditions aboard planing craft with neck pain (OR = 2.3) and performance-degradation (OR = 2.6). MSP is common among Swedish coast guards. Severe exposure conditions aboard HPMC are significantly associated with both MSP and performance-degradation. The spine and shoulders are the most susceptible to work-related MSP among HPMC occupants which should be targeted in work-related preventive and corrective measures.

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A Case Study on Biophilic Design Vocabularies as Interior Design Vocabularies - Focused on Written Language -

Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal ◽

10.14774/jkiid.2021.30.5.078 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (5) ◽

pp. 78-88

Author(s):

Young-Eun Oh ◽

Hyunsoo Lee

Keyword(s):

Interior Design ◽

Written Language ◽

Biophilic Design

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The influence of work group size and space sharing on the perceived productivity, overall comfort and health of occupants in commercial and academic buildings

Indoor and Built Environment ◽

10.1177/1420326x20912312 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1420326X2091231 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Maryam Khoshbakht ◽

George Baird ◽

Eziaku O. Rasheed

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Work Groups ◽

Work Group ◽

Commercial Buildings ◽

Working Environments ◽

Workplace Environments ◽

Open Plan ◽

Academic Buildings ◽

Use Studies ◽

Occupant Satisfaction

The influence of work groups (the number of occupants sharing an office) on occupant satisfaction with workplace environments was compared between commercial buildings and academic buildings. Using the Building Use Studies (BUS) methodology, a sample of 5000 surveys was collected over a 12-year period from 67 buildings around the world. In both academic and commercial buildings, solo offices (single occupant) obtained the best scores regarding productivity, overall comfort and health. Academics most disliked middle-sized open-plan offices (shared by 6 to 9 occupants), while in commercial buildings, office occupants most disliked large open-plan offices (shared by over 9 occupants). Occupants had higher productivity and perceived health in commercial buildings than those in academic buildings in all work groups. Productivity decreased as the number of occupants in the office increased in both academic and commercial buildings for all work groups except for middle-sized open-plan offices. Age had a significant influence on occupant perception in different work groups, when comparing commercial and academic buildings. Trivial differences regarding the effect of gender on occupant perception in commercial and academic buildings were also identified. The findings of this study points to the significance of office sharing in influencing high-performance working environments, especially in relation to open-plan layouts.

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Trust and Distrust Network Accuracy and Career Advancement in an Organization

Group & Organization Management ◽

10.1177/1059601115627529 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 487-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Joshua E. Marineau

Keyword(s):

Social Network ◽

Social Exchange ◽

Call Center ◽

High Performance ◽

Career Advancement ◽

Employee Performance ◽

Performance Outcomes ◽

Manufacturing Firm ◽

Work Related ◽

Performance Effects

Although there is some evidence individuals’ knowledge of the organization’s social network can be a valuable resource, providing advantages, it is unclear whether those advantages also relate to employee performance outcomes, such as career advancement. Thus, the question this study seeks to answer is “Does accuracy of the social network provide a unique resource unto itself, positively affecting one’s promotion in the organization?” This question is answered from a social exchange and social resources view using cognitive social structure-style data collected in the call center of a large U.S. restaurant equipment manufacturing firm. Evidence suggests that social network accuracy of the work-related trust and distrust networks increased the chances for promotion compared with the less accurate. In addition, trust and distrust network accuracy moderated supervisor-rated performance effects on promotion, such that accuracy is generally more beneficial for low compared with high performance individuals, increasing their chances of promotion. Contributions to research in career advancement, social networks, network cognition, and positive and negative tie perception are discussed.

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Open Plan Office Design Features Affecting Staff’s Health and Well-being Status

Jurnal Teknologi ◽

10.11113/jt.v70.3583 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 70 (7) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Arezou Shafaghat ◽

Ali Keyvanfar ◽

Hasanuddin Lamit ◽

Seyed Ali Mousavi ◽

Mohd Zaimi Abd Majid

Keyword(s):

Psychological Health ◽

Indoor Environment ◽

Well Being ◽

Environment Design ◽

Effect Analysis ◽

Office Design ◽

Open Plan ◽

Cause And Effect Analysis ◽

Physical And Psychological Health ◽

Health And Well Being

Sustainable office building indoor environment design is a challengeable issue for professionals in thermal comfort, satisfaction, health, and energy fields of research. The professionals intensively need a comprehensive list of office indoor environment design features to promote the level of performance and productivity of staff. One of the most effective factors dealing with staff performance and productivity is physical and psychological health which has not yet been investigated in depth is open-plan office design. In this regard, the current research aimed at establishing a comprehensive list of Open Plan Offices Design (OPOD) features affecting physical and psychological health and well-being of the staff at office buildings. Research methodology engaged two phases corresponding to two objectives. Phase one was to investigate OPOD features and sub-features through a critical literature review using fishbone cause-and-effect analysis technique. Phase one has clustered the OPOD features into two; positive and negative classes. The cause-and-effect analysis determined 3 positive features and 5 negative features involved in the positive and negative classes, respectively. The Efficient Workflow and Performance, Flexible Design, and Cost Efficient were identified as positive OPOD features which involves a number of sub-features. The Distraction, Decreasing Work Feedback, Job Dissatisfaction, Illness, and stress have been determined as OPOD features which impact negatively on staff’s health. The second phase conducted a content analysis on reviewed literatures to indicate the popularity of citation of each OPOD feature in previous studies. The content analysis determined in the Positive cluster, the sub-feature “Facilitate Communication”, under Efficient Workflow & Performance was investigated more than other sub-features. In addition, in the Negative cluster, the sub-feature Auditory Distraction under Distraction was highly investigated. The research asserts that undertaking the research outputs will promote performance and productivity of staff in office buildings. Architects, facility managers, design consultants, and authority may use the output as a decision support checklist for future office design and/or renovations.

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