A Life Cycle Assessment:
Comparing Fixed and Modular Structures (314KB PDF)
In this assessment, researchers studied the environmental impact of built-in millwork and modular casework. They also compared steel-stud-and-gypsum-board walls to movable walls. The assessment gauged the impact of producing, installing, and replacing these elements. It considered the impact from many aspects, from raw materials to manufacturing processes. And, it considered the waste generated from manufacturing, construction, and demolition. The model for the calculations was Bluewater Health, a hospital system in Ontario, Canada. Results showed that modular casework and movable walls have less impact on the environment than fixed casework and architectural walls. These positive results occur regardless of a hospital's rate of change.
Appropriate Flexibility:
New Twist on an Old Conundrum (53KB PDF)
Offices are increasingly social places where connections and relationships are established and tended. Is flexibility in work environments that big a deal? What is flexibility anyway, and do we all need the same kind? How much does it cost and how much do we use? This conversation with STUDIOS Architecture reveals some interesting answers. One in particular deals with the idea of "appropriate flexibility." By balancing the realities of the building with the needs of those who work in it and those who own it, it is possible to reach a level of flexibility that is real and workable now. And that increases the chances of handling the unknowns of the future.
Beyond Four Walls and a Door:
Understanding Privacy in the Office (293KB PDF)
When people need privacy to do their work and don't get it, they report significantly lower productivity and job satisfaction compared to those who say they have the privacy they need. Conventional wisdom suggests enclosed offices would address the issue, but this ignores research that indicates floor-to-ceiling walls and a closable door don't necessarily translate into privacy. In one study, people defined privacy primarily by the ability to own a "territory." According to an office consultant, "High-quality work settings allow people to control contacts and to have a choice about when and how much interaction they have with others."
Bright Idea:
Personal Control for Office Lighting (112KB PDF)
While people prefer natural light, their workplaces, for obvious practical reasons, are lit by some combination of daylighting (perhaps with views to the outside) and artificial lighting. Within that range of illumination, people have clear preferences for how much and what kind of light they want. The fact that preferences vary--among people and for the same person at various times during the day--argues for giving them some control. Whatever else people say about office lighting, they make it clear they want the ability to adjust it themselves. And they will adjust it quite differently based on the quality and visual performance of local lighting, ambient lighting, and daylighting. Giving people control over their lighting helps them feel more satisfied with their workplace. It affects their performance, too, helping them to stay engaged in tasks longer and to avoid fatigue. Proper lighting can also increase energy savings if adjustability is part of the picture.
Change and Challenge in the Petroleum Industry (94KB PDF)
Oil fuels most of the world's economies. And while the industry is strong, it is subject to considerable stresses. Demand is increasing in the face of ever-tighter supplies. Exploration, already risky, is made more so by political instability in many producing areas. Terrorism has added a new dimension to the industry's traditional focus on safety. These and other stressors are causing oil and gas companies to change the way they do business. They are increasing cooperation with competitors. They are balancing massive investments in finding and refining hydrocarbons with expanded development of alternative fuels. They are managing mergers and addressing a knowledge gap as an aging workforce retires. How companies handle these changes influences the way they view their real estate holdings and how they house the scientists and engineers who play a vital role in transforming the industry.
Creating a Culture of Sustainability:
How Campuses Are Taking the Lead (195KB PDF)
The influences of sustainability efforts, large or small, can change a student's educational experience, a staff or faculty member's commitment to the college, and a community's awareness of its ecological responsibility. Sustainability initiatives seen on college and university campuses throughout the country are influencing curriculum decisions, operations budgets, facility plans, and campus culture. Students, faculty, and staff are leading the efforts. They often find it to be difficult work, requiring the kind of campus-wide coordination and cooperation that's often absent from the organizational structure of higher education institutions. Yet while the approaches and participants vary, all share a common motivation--to do the right thing.
Embracing Boomers:
How Workplace Design for Maturing Knowledge Workers Benefits Everyone (974KB PDF)
The baby boomer generation is staying healthier and more active--and working longer--than any generation before it. This trend is occurring just as many companies are realizing the value of employing maturing workers. For these workers to contribute their fullest, they will likely require workplace modifications and schedule adjustments that address the changes aging brings--a decline in vision, hearing, or muscle strength and dexterity; an increase in cognition time required to process and recall information. A concept called universal design holds promise for meeting the needs of older workers. It proposes that as many people as possible be able to use a product or environment. To do this, universal design takes the full range of human limitations and disabilities into account. The lesson from these efforts is clear--creating environments for aging eyes, tools that require less strength to operate, and workspaces positioned at heights appropriate for an aging body also benefits younger workers.
Ergonomic Principles in the Design of Healthcare Environments (713KB PDF)
In addition to protecting workers, healthcare organizations can reap financial benefits by incorporating ergonomic principles in the planning of healthcare environments.
Ergonomics: Good News for Healthcare Workers (67KB PDF)
Research shows that when ergonomics programs are applied correctly in the workplace, when jobs are redesigned to reduce risk factors, and when interactive training is used to teach and motivate workers to adjust their environments and perform tasks safely, injuries and illnesses caused by musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can be reduced significantly.
Evolutionary Psychology and Workplace Design:
Doing What Comes Naturally (1296KB PDF)
People prefer environments, natural or built, that evoke the savanna landscapes of early humans, where open grasslands provided unimpeded views from the cover and protection of tree groupings. Research suggests that people's innate awareness of natural settings provides cues to the effective management of the built environment and the importance of incorporating into it daylight and natural views, refuge and prospect, and other aspects of the savanna.
Forward Thinking:
Why the Ideas from the Man Who Invented Cubicles Still Make Sense (144KB PDF)
In the nearly 40 years since Robert Propst wrote The Office: A Facility Based on Change, what has become of his ideas? His study of offices found "it is our buildings, furnishings, and services that have to be revisualized and revitalized." That required an approach for addressing what Propst called the new master in organizations--constant, rapid change. For Propst, this meant new rules for the office: a "forgiving" behavior in facility design; the ability to change with "grace"; putting more control in the hands of the person working in the space. While these rules have been unevenly applied and sometimes misused in the intervening years, they continue to resonate even as work and work environments evolve. Built on Propst's original thoughts, two additional rules address the new office landscape apparent today: Give people choice and variety in how they create and share; enrich their work experience with a workplace that is flexible and open to change and serendipity.
It's Here Somewhere:
The Effects of Storage Methods on Job Performance (165KB PDF)
Even before the advent of more paper and smaller workstations, office workers tended to either pile or file their materials. Pilers simply put stuff on any available horizontal surface, but there is often method to their apparent madness--piling keeps materials visible and accessible. Filing, on the other hand, involves setting up a system, organizing the contents, and labeling and stowing them. Retrieval includes remembering items exist and then locating them. Materials can move through stages of relevance, and be placed in active, intermediate, or archival locations. Whichever approach people take, they can use the insights presented here to increase their effectiveness in dealing with paper.
It's a Matter of Balance
Acoustics in the Open Plan (171KB PDF)
Acoustically comfortable spaces must account for human reactions to sound as well as the physics of acoustics. That's because a person's perception and interpretation of sound in the work environment, not its decibel level, determines its distracting and annoying effects. One way to help people focus on doing their jobs is to control the spreading sound waves generated by other people doing their jobs. This requires controlling sounds at their place of origin, as they travel, or when they arrive at a listener's workstation. Three specific techniques can be applied during facility planning and in application to deal with sound waves as they travel between sources and receivers--sound absorption, sound blocking, and sound masking. Selecting appropriate components, ceiling and carpeting treatments, and sound-masking systems supplemented with voice-privacy components can achieve a favorable balance for the office soundscape.
Making Room for Collaboration (143KB PDF)
Everyone agrees on the value of collaboration. Just as a mechanical calculator can extend mental capacities, other people can help extend our intelligence. And research shows what many employees already know: The most valuable knowledge sharing takes place while talking to colleagues. That argues for co-locating workers to allow face-to-face interactions. Co-location can mean interruptions. Thus, there is the need to balance interaction with the requirements of individual work. Space design can do this by giving people choices about where they work. It can also promote collaboration in three ways: by locating people logically, by giving them ways to signal their availability, and by arranging traffic patterns to encourage interactions.
Measure of Success:
The Facility's Role in Effectiveness (120KB PDF)
Is it possible to measure the degree to which a physical place supports people's concentration, use of technology, and ability to work collaboratively? Researchers at Herman Miller demonstrate that it is. And they add that it's essential for organizations to regularly gauge the contribution "place" can make toward realizing an organization's strategic objectives. This research summary looks at the results of several studies that measure the effect of the workplace on business outcomes. The findings provide an empirical rationale for taking a strategic approach to selecting and using facilities and office furniture.
New Executive Officescapes:
Moving from Private Offices to Open Environments (144KB PDF)
There's a growing trend toward executives leaving their private enclaves to be closer to the action, to their customers, and to each other. They want to be able to communicate more easily and make decisions more quickly. They're also looking for more egalitarian work environments that reflect the goals and cultures of their organizations. Several top executives share their experiences about making the move from private offices to open or common areas, and tell you why the tradeoffs are worth it. Along with other industry experts, they also offer sound advice to others who may be considering a move into the open.
Taking on Workplace Change (332KB PDF)
Change may be "business as usual," but for most companies, managing it is not. The major challenge in any change initiative, including a facilities change, is overcoming employee resistance. Employees resist primarily because they don't understand what the change is or what it means for them. Using change communication to increase employee buy-in before, during, and after a facilities change is critical. Workplace change has the best chance of succeeding when everyone wants it to work. If a company identifies the different audiences and communicates effectively with them, then chances are good for successful change.
Third Places:
The Social Side of Work (952KB PDF)
Recognizing the social side of work and how the workplace can foster it is likely to generate the kind of innovation that companies need to compete effectively. Research shows that those with extensive social networks receive higher performance ratings and faster promotions than others. The most effective knowledge workers create and tap large, diversified networks that are rich in experience and span all organizational boundaries. Technological advances have liberated people to work wherever they like, yet physical proximity continues to be important--knowledge, talent, and the wealth they generate all tend to cluster. To create a sense of community and foster the social side of work, organizations are combining attitudinal changes with innovative facility design and furnishings.
When Work and Life Balance, Everyone Wins (94KB PDF)
Companies in some developed countries are facing a labor shortage. One way they can attract and retain workers is by helping them achieve a better work-life balance, an issue that cuts across social and geographical borders. Some companies have responded by offering flextime, telecommuting, and a compressed workweek, for example. In one study of 29 American firms, offering flexibility to workers had a positive impact on the companies' bottom lines in a variety of ways. However, formal work-life balance programs and even legislation aren't likely to be effective unless the corporate culture is conducive to work-life balance. So far, smaller companies have been more adept at work-life balance initiatives than larger ones, perhaps because it's easier for managers at small companies to see how flexibility works for both the company and the worker.
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