Auf leisen Sohlen/On soft feet

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (05) ◽  
pp. 151-154
Author(s):  
J. Grünwald
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Control ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Room Acoustics ◽  
Sound Insulation ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Concert Halls ◽  
Important Quality

Ob Großraumbüros, Konzerthallen oder Auditorien – bau- und raumakustische Eigenschaften stellen nicht nur ein wichtiges Qualitätsmerkmal für Gebäude dar, sie bestimmen auch maßgeblich das Wohlgefühl der Nutzer. Wo bisherige Maßnahmen zum Schallschutz mit dem Wunsch nach einer idealen Temperierung von Gebäuden als unvereinbar galten, stellt die Weiss Doppelbodensysteme GmbH, Traditionsunternehmen aus dem schwäbischen Lindach, ein Produkt vor, welches es ermöglicht, beide Kriterien miteinander zu vereinen: Den Akustik-Doppelboden.   Summary Whether open-plan offices, concert halls or auditoriums – building and room acoustics not only represent an important quality feature for buildings, they also significantly determine the well-being of the users. Where previous measures for sound insulation were considered incompatible with the desire for an ideal temperature control of buildings, Weiss Doppelbodensysteme GmbH, a traditional company from the Swabian town of Lindach, presents a product that makes it possible to combine both criteria: the acoustic double floor.

Diet Quality, a Term Subject to Change over Time

2012 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 144-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Elmadfa ◽  
Alexa L. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Functional Foods ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Quality Factors ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Quality Diet ◽  
Important Quality ◽  
Health And Well Being

A high-quality diet is one of the foundations of health and well-being. For a long time in human history, diet was chiefly a source of energy and macronutrients meant to still hunger and give the strength for work and activities that were in general much harder than nowadays. Only few persons could afford to emphasize enjoyment. In the assessment of quality, organoleptic properties were major criteria to detect spoilage and oxidative deterioration of food. Today, food hygiene is a quality aspect that is often taken for granted by consumers, despite its lack being at the origin of most food-borne diseases. The discovery of micronutrients entailed fundamental changes of the concept of diet quality. However, non-essential food components with additional health functions were still barely known or not considered important until recently. With the high burden of obesity and its associated diseases on the rise, affluent, industrialized countries have developed an increased interest in these substances, which has led to the development of functional foods to optimize special body functions, reduce disease risk, or even contribute to therapeutic approaches. Indeed, nowadays, high contents of energy, fat, and sugar are factors associated with a lower quality of food, and products with reduced amounts of these components are valued by many consumers. At the same time, enjoyment and convenience are important quality factors, presenting food manufacturers with the dilemma of reconciling low fat content and applicability with good taste and appealing appearance. Functional foods offer an approach to address this challenge. Deeper insights into nutrient-gene interactions may enable personalized nutrition adapted to the special needs of individuals. However, so far, a varied healthy diet remains the best basis for health and well-being.

Employee Well-Being in Open-Plan Office Spaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-105
Author(s):  
Susannah Minutillo ◽  
Michelle Cleary ◽  
Denis Visentin
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Open Plan

Field study for the evaluation of the acoustic quality of open-plan offices

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (4) ◽  
pp. 2544-2549
Author(s):  
Patrick Chevret ◽  
Thomas Bonzom ◽  
Lucas Lenne ◽  
Laurent Brocolini ◽  
Julien Marchand
Keyword(s):  
Service Industry ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Occupational Accidents ◽  
Work Organisation ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Sound Masking

Even if the global health crisis is currently changing the work organisation in offices in the service industry, the problem of noise in open plan offices remains a major challenge with regard to occupational health and well-being. Since 2012, the French National Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents and Diseases (INRS) has been carrying out acoustic surveys in French open-plan offices by measuring both some usual indicators of empty offices (Tr, D2S, Lp4m, rc, Lp) and also the ambient noise levels in activity. In addition, GABO questionnaires have been proposed to employees to assess their perception of the noise environment. So far, 50 open spaces were evaluated, with more or less data collected depending on the situation encountered. Approximately 1,400 employees have already answered the questionnaire. All of the sites visited cover the entire set of activities described by the ISO 22955 standard. An analysis of the links between the acoustic parameters and the perception of employees was carried out. This analysis provides additional information to the studies on the choice of acoustic descriptors and on the use of sound masking systems that aim to control background noise to reduce noise disturbance due to intelligible conversations.

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

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
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.

Productivity drivers of knowledge workers in the central London office environment

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Chadburn ◽  
Judy Smith ◽  
Joshua Milan
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Office Environment ◽  
Individual Preferences ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Office Space ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Personal Productivity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the drivers that allow for enhanced personal productivity of knowledge-based workers in Central London focusing on the physical and social environment as well as worker’s individual preferences. Design/methodology/approach A closed-ended questionnaire was sent to employees of eight professional companies (Consultancy, Financial and Media Services) based in Central London. Of the 500 questionnaires sent, 213 were successfully completed and returned, representing a response rate of 42.6 per cent. Findings The findings from this trial study show that comfort, convenience, IT connectivity, good design and working to a specific time scale were strong drivers of personal productivity. Knowledge workers prefer a flexible range of office settings that enable both a stimulating open and connected work environment, knowledge sharing, collaboration, as well as quiet concentration locations, free of distractions and noise. It was also found that moves of knowledge workers into open-plan office space (and especially fee earners) is normally met with initial resistance. However, there is normally greater acceptance of open space after experiencing an actual move into open-plan, with benefits improving teamwork and communication being highlighted. The research also stresses that office design considerations need to be closer aligned with knowledge worker’s overall well-being and individual psychological needs. Research limitations/implications Limited to Central London offices and self-assessed evaluation of productivity drivers within the knowledge worker’s office environment. Practical implications Corporate real estate managers and office occupiers, designers and facilities managers can use the findings as part of their workplace strategy by providing a range of flexible workplaces that allow the knowledge worker a place for greater personal productivity through the provision of a well-designed collaborative office environment alongside private and quiet working spaces. Developers and landlords should also be aware of these requirements when taking their decisions. Originality/value This paper focuses specifically on the high-productivity knowledge-based work environment, demonstrating that there is a need to consider the collaborative physical and social environment and the individual preferences of knowledge workers to ensure enhanced personal productivity and well-being within the office. This can be achieved through the provision of a well-designed office space that allows for open, connected and comfortable work environments, as well as opportunities to use dedicated concentration spaces that are free of distraction. It was also shown that hot-desking was unanimously disliked by knowledge workers.

scholarly journals Breaking Out of Open-Plan: Extending Social Interference Theory Through an Evaluation of Contemporary Offices

2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 945-978 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Davis ◽  
D. J. Leach ◽  
C. W. Clegg
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Interference Theory ◽  
Office Design ◽  
Individual Outcomes ◽  
Global Engineering ◽  
Engineering Company ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Employee Experience

Offices are evolving rapidly to facilitate organizational cost reductions and to better support contemporary working practices. We investigate relationships between the design of contemporary offices (physical proximity and breakout areas) and autonomy in predicting individual outcomes (ease of communication, job satisfaction, and well-being). We extend Social Interference Theory to include features of contemporary office design and explicitly explore the moderating role of autonomy. Working in differing office configurations of a global engineering company, 406 employees provided data. Access to breakout areas was strongly related to ease of communication, higher job satisfaction, and well-being. In the absence of breakout areas, employees with higher autonomy were able to better manage the challenges arising from contemporary offices. Practical implications include incorporating breakout areas to enhance employee experience within open-plan offices, using job design to optimize employee experience in open-plan offices, and manager and employee involvement in office design.

scholarly journals Acoustical planning for workplace health and well-being: A case study in four open-plan offices

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Lee ◽  
Francesco Aletta
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
The United States ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Acoustic Environments ◽  
Health And Well Being

Noise is the most frequent reason for complaints about environmental conditions in the workplace. It is associated with individual health and well-being and decreased productivity and performance. This study identified a set of acoustic strategies for open-plan workplaces and examined a case study applying those to four open-plan offices in the United States. The set of measures was defined based on a literature review and a focus group interview with 17 experts. A total of four topics were identified as key performance indicators of proper acoustic environments in the open-plan workplaces. A total of 19 items were then developed within these 4 topics as the protocols for planning acoustic strategies for workplace health and well-being. In the case study, the level of acoustic performance for workplace health and well-being was highest in the Dallas office (27.5 points out of a total of potential 40.0) followed by the Minneapolis office (26.0). Both offices outperformed the other offices in achieving space planning principles to control noises and occupant noise control in open spaces for acoustical privacy. A further examination on the relationships between acoustic strategies and other health and well-being key performance indicators in these offices suggests that guidance to increase occupants’ auditory comfort, well-being, and performance should be sought by designers in a holistic and integrative way.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document