Designing a territorialized work system as the making of a milieu.

Abstract

A huge amount of ergonomic research has been carried out in companies. However, territory is now becoming a new frontier for decision-making during design. This article aims to examine how territorial scale impacts the design process of a work system. Two types of methods were used. First, we analyzed and defined what constitutes a territorialized work system. On this basis we conducted a design project for the re-conception of a territorialized work system with the linden tree. It is argued that a "territorialized work system" is not limited to its productive dimensions; it engages in a "making of a milieu" which consists of matching the work system with a range of dimensions that make life possible within the territory. The territorial aspect of running a design project thus relates to three dimensions: the systemic dimension of the system to be designed, the organization of the design project itself, and the nature of the object to be designed: the possibility of making a milieu, i.e. of being able to live in the territory.