Open-plan Research Articles

Office Design's Impact on Psychosocial Work Environment and Emotional Health.

This study explores the association between office design and (a) the psychosocial work environment and (b) the emotional health among 4352 employees in seven different office designs. A multivariate linear regression analysis was performed with adjustments for age and educational level for men and women separately. Results show that psychosocial factors and emotional exhaustion differ between both office designs and between genders, with best outcomes in cell offices, except for psychological demands that are rated the most favourable in shared-room offices. Cell offices and small open-plan offices show a strong beneficial association with emotional exhaustion in women. Among men, hot-desking is most problematic regarding psychosocial work environment and emotional exhaustion. Women rate the psychosocial environment low in combi-office and report emotional exhaustion in small open offices.

Pressure Behaviour of Hot Gases and Smoke in Fires of Large Enclosures with Different Ventilation Systems

This study investigates numerically the pressure behavior of hot gases and smoke in fires of large enclosures. It mainly covers the effectiveness of using natural and mechanical ventilation in changing the pressure behaviour of hot gases and smoke inside different structures. Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), provided by NIST, has been used to run the simulations for all proposed cases. For the assumed scenarios, the values of hot gas pressure and temperature are extracted at different points, especially in the hot layer close to the ceiling, for further analysis. The effect of changing the location of the fire source has been investigated, too. Final results show noticeable changes in the behavior of pressure, and temperature, in the presence of different ventilation systems, both natural and mechanical. Thus, appropriate ventilation systems can improve the pressure behaviour inside the place, which offers a better environment and higher safety level, in case of fire, in such large enclosures, open plan offices,

Apartment with Acoustics Environment Approach in Center Jakarta

Environmental acoustics have an important architectural role that has a major influence on the productivity, health and sustainability of cities. living and proximity to the workplace have become essential needs for workers and entrepreneurs in today’s era. As many still work using the hybrid system, where workers require a comfortable living space as well as a comfortable workspace to support productivity, meetings and work can be done in the same place. SOHO apartments provide a solution to this problem, but they are prone to acoustic issues due to their open plan and loft concepts. The large volume of space requires special treatment, especially in terms of reverberation time. Excessive reverberation time can disrupt the productivity of residents and workers. A quiet space is needed to support these activities. This study aims to explain how environmental acoustics can improve the quality of a room and increase productivity and healthy through the application of acoustic absorbent material. However, the use of absorbent material is not very good for the environment if its use is not appropriate, therefore the selection of absorbent material must be analyzed carefully, so that what is obtained is PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) material which supports all aspects of the SOHO apartment’s space needs and also material recycling up to 90%-99% which is good for sustainability. This study uses a combination method of observation and precedent studies. The results of this research involve the application of parameters to address acoustic issues in SOHO apartments and improve the acoustic quality of the space.

The influence of displacement ventilation on indoor carbon dioxide exposure and ventilation efficiency in a living laboratory open-plan office

Good indoor air quality in office environments is essential for occupant health and productivity. In open-plan offices, displacement ventilation has been recognized for its higher efficiency compared to mixing ventilation. This study evaluates the performance of displacement ventilation in an open-plan office under cooling and heating conditions, considering various supply ventilation rates, supply air temperatures, and occupancy levels. Field measurements were conducted over three months in a living laboratory office in a high-performance building. The indoor environment was controlled by an independent variable air volume (VAV) air conditioning system. The supply ventilation rate ranged from 6 to 12 h−1. Real-time measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the supply air, return air, and breathing zone of the office were conducted to assess occupants’ exposure to CO2 and ventilation efficiency. The results show that the supply ventilation rate plays an important role in shaping the air distribution and overall effectiveness of the mechanical ventilation system. Higher supply ventilation rates can enhance air distribution robustness, improving ventilation efficiency and reducing CO2 exposure under both cooling and heating conditions. These findings also suggest the need for an optimized control logic that differs from the conventional control logic used in VAV systems. Specifically, during the heating condition of displacement ventilation, it is recommended to maintain the supply ventilation rate at a higher level to effectively mitigate the impact of occupant behavior on air quality, minimize CO2 exposure risks, and ensure a more robust and reliable indoor air distribution.

A Field Study of Individual, Energy-Efficient, and Human-Centered Indoor Electric Lighting: Its Impact on Comfort and Visual Performance in an Open-Plan Office Part 1

In this field study, we examined the impact of human-centered lighting on an open-plan office environment, involving the participation of sixty office workers. The objective was to investigate the effects of the Circadian Stimulus (CS) and Equivalent Melanopic Lux (EML) metrics. This study took place at Istanbul Technical University in Istanbul, Turkey. The office was equipped with single Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) light emitting diode (LED) sources, featuring two different light beam distributions: Direct Suspended Linear (L1) and Direct and Indirect Suspended Linear (L2). To minimize energy consumption, we proposed simulations for a suspended individual lighting system. The office workers were invited to complete visual cognitive performance tests, proofreading tasks, and the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) test to measure alertness. Additionally, participants were asked to provide feedback on the comfort criteria associated with the designed human-centered lighting concept. The preliminary findings from part 1 of this field study shed light on the potential of office lighting modifications in enhancing energy efficiency and meeting the standards set by WELL v2 2023 Q4 and UL Design Guideline 24480 (2019). Part 2 of this study will further optimize the proposed lighting quality concept to determine the most suitable individual lighting solution for office workers.

Deep learning for predictive window operation modeling in open-plan offices

This study explores how the past, both short and long-term, affects the predictive window operation modeling in open-plan offices. To achieve this, the study proposes a deep learning method that uses long short-term memory (LSTM) artificial neural networks. The proposed model is an ensemble of LSTM networks that utilize relevant indoor environmental data from multiple sensory systems and weather data from a nearby weather station to predict the window state with different predictive horizons. The drawbacks of such networks are extensive training time and the lack of interpretability. Hence, Bayesian optimization is proposed for efficient hyperparameter tuning of the network. Furthermore, explainability through a model agnostic approach is utilized for feature importance ranking.The performance of the LSTM networks was compared to a dense feedforward neural network (DFNN) on an imbalanced dataset to evaluate the effect of the long-term past. Handling imbalanced window operation data was improved by employing class weight and early stopping, leading to a higher true positive rate, marginally better F1-score, and fewer network training epochs. The results indicate that a stateful bi-directional LSTM (Bi-LSTM) network models the data sequence more efficiently in aggregated comparison than other LSTM types and DFNN. However, the DFNN slightly outperformed LSTM networks in interval-by-interval comparison, with an F1-score of 0.88 when predicting the window state 10 min ahead, shifting to 0.82 for a 60-minute predictive horizon. Additionally, the study showed that the ensemble model performed better in terms of F1-score than the individual models.

Improving Activity Requirements in Open Plan Office Spaces by Using Different Acoustic Design Elements: Engineering Studies and Consultation Center as a Case Study

Improving Activity Requirements in Open Plan Office Spaces by Using Different Acoustic Design Elements: Engineering Studies and Consultation Center as a Case Study

Два метода локального поиска в планировании открытых горных работ

This paper aims to investigate ways of planning open pit mining using local search (genetic algorithms are not disscussed in the paper). Open pit mining is a complex and multifaceted problem that requires efficient planning to optimize mineral extraction. The Local search methods are a powerful optimization tool to search for local optima in the space of lage size. This paper reviews two of the most commonly used local search approaches for open pit mining planning.

Developing a validated simulation model of micro-zonal air-conditioning to evaluate thermal comfort parameters

ABSTRACT Micro-Zonal Occupant-Centric Control (MZOCC) helps in reducing building energy consumption by conditioning only the occupied regions in a room. For this, MZOCC divides a large room such as open-plan offices into virtual micro-zones to allow independent diffuser level control. But, unplanned MZOCC can lead to heavy thermal gradients and deflection of air jets, leading to thermal discomfort. To evaluate thermal comfort at different regions of a room under MZOCC, there is a need to accurately model parameters of thermal comfort. Field studies, exploring the transient variations in air temperature, humidity and velocity at different regions of the room due to MZOCC, are limited. At the same time, developing validated simulation models or digital twins using experimental data helps in exploring micro-zonal strategies to arrive at the best strategy. The aim of this study is to create a digital twin of an open-plan office and model the parameters required to estimate thermal comfort. This study senses transient variations in air temperature, velocity and humidity using a wireless sensor network and develops a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model that can accurately model the sensed transient variations. Field data, constituting external surface temperatures captured using thermal images, variations in air-conditioning control strategy, dynamic occupancy and location, are periodically updated in the digital twin. The CFD model accurately predicts the trends in variations in indoor temperature, velocity and humidity at different regions of the room. The developed digital twin can be used in future studies to evaluate thermal comfort and plan MZOCC control strategies.

Evaluasi Kesesuaian RTH terhadap RTRW Kota Pariaman

This research is related to assessing the reasonableness of the area of green open space (RTH) towards the development strategy of Pariaman City as stated in the Regional Regulation (Perda) of the Regional Spatial Planning (RTRW) of Pariaman City for 2010-2030, namely 30% and aims to, 1) Find out distribution and extent of availability of green open space (RTH) in Pariaman City. 2) Knowing the suitability between green open space (RTH) and Regional Spatial Planning (RTRW). This research is a quantitative exploration using spatial methodology. Using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) identification method, the analysis used focuses on the distribution of green vegetation throughout Pariaman City. The vegetation distribution obtained was overlaid with shapefile data (SHP) obtained from the digitization of the Regional Regulations (Perda) of the Regional Spatial Planning (RTRW) of Pariaman City for 2010-2030, so that the area, distribution and suitability are known. The results of identifying 3946.09 Ha of green open space (RTH) from 4118.76 Ha which were planned in detail, namely; City Park RTH, planned area 3214.16 Ha and area in the field 3087.12 Ha, City Forest RTH, planned area 174.8 Ha and area in the field 174.23 Ha, Cemetery Open Space, planned area 4.72 Ha and area in field 4.67 Ha, RTH Road Route, planned area 504.14 Ha and area in the field 472.53 Ha and RTH Tourism Area, planned area 220.94 Ha and area in the field 207.54 Ha. The percentage of Pariaman City's green open space to the area is 59.57% and has fulfilled the provisions of the RTRW Regional Regulation, namely a minimum green open space of 30%.

Level-adaptive sound masking in the open-plan office: How does it influence noise distraction, coping, and mental health?

In the open-plan office, intelligible speech is a major distractor, reducing cognitive performance. Sound masking emits an electronic broadband sound to increase the background sound level in a controlled manner. To date, most studies on sound masking are short-term laboratory studies that do not consider aspects of mental health. The current study aims to evaluate, using a longitudinal field study with intervention (N = 42) and control (N = 41) floors at two organizations, whether level-adaptive sound masking could reduce intelligible speech and increase mental health, while being exposed to level-adaptive sound masking for two to three months. The study consists of two subjective measurements, prior- and post-intervention, using survey questions on coping strategies, noise distraction, and ten mental health indicators (short-and long-term consequences). The increase in background noise level (at company 1 from 28.7 dB(A) to 41.9 dB(A) and at company 2 from 32.4 dB(A) to 42.6 dB(A)) at both organizations significantly reduced intelligible speech distraction. Short-term mental health aspects were rated more positively, and level-adaptive sound masking also reduced the frequency with which people put on radio or headphones to cope with noise.

Comparative Study Dynamics Analysis of a Multi-story Building with and without a Floating Column

Parking spaces, lobby areas, terrace gardens, and other amenities are highly sought-after in densely populated urban regions. Although floating columns can be useful and an achievable choice, it is important to research their structural performance and cost-effectiveness in the event of substantial ground motion imposed on by an earthquake. A building’s overall dimensions, geometry, and shape all impact how it acts and acts when subjected to seismic loads. For this reason, it is necessary to assess how well floating column buildings perform in seismically vulnerable places in comparison to conventional buildings. In this work, the performance of structures with floating columns for seismic loading is observed using dynamic analytic techniques in accordance with IS 1893 (2005). This study analyses both the floating columns and the conventional building without floating columns. When compared to a regular building, the research reveals that the floating column buildings exhibit a very quick increase in base shear and story displacement. The horizontal displacements experienced by floating column buildings are proportionally larger due to an increase in the fundamental time period. If the lateral displacement exceeds the codespecified maximum limit, damage to structural and non-structural parts may result. Because of the discontinuity in the load distribution path, seismic base shear and overturning moment are also increasing in the case of buildings with floating columns. Additionally, while asymmetrically introducing floating columns, torsional irregularity has been produced but the modal mass participation ratio has decreased. While it is true that the use of floating columns in high-rise structures allows for continuous open floor plans, they are also dangerous and susceptible in seismically active locations

Seguros de pessoas e previdência complementar aberta no Brasil: Um estudo sobre os diferenciais de mortalidade por nível educacional

ABSTRACT This study aims to verify whether the inequalities by education level found in the population as a whole are also confirmed among those who subscribed to personal insurance and/or open private pension plans in Brazil between 2012 and 2017. This study is a trailblazer in estimating mortality differentials by education level in populations with personal insurance and open private pensions in Brazil. The research contributes to the understanding of socioeconomic factors related to living conditions and, consequently, mortality. The results show that, even in a population that records lower mortality rates and higher life expectancies when compared to the Brazilian population as a whole, education level plays a major role as a protective factor. Population and death data were provided by 23 insurance groups. Through an agreement with the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Applied Mathematics Laboratory of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (LabMA/UFRJ) provided the list of insured people to this ministry, data was cross-referenced with government information and returned to the LabMA/UFRJ with identification of education level, when available, as well as indication of deceased, completing company records. Mortality tables were then drawn up for the insured population by education level. To obtain smoothed tables, Heligman and Pollard’s law was applied using a Bayesian approach, via Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation. In the period from 2012 to 2017, among Brazilians who took advantage of personal insurance and open supplementary pensions, men with a high education level had, at the age of 60, a life expectancy of 5.6 and 6.6 years greater than those with a lower education level, in mortality and survival coverage, respectively. In the case of women, the comparison between the most educated and the least educated shows a difference of 2.7 years in mortality coverage and 5.4 years in survival coverage.

Examination of the impact of lighting layout on energy efficiency in the case of open plan office

Examination of the impact of lighting layout on energy efficiency in the case of open plan office

Impact of final design on daylight provision

Daylight analysis informs design decisions in architectural spaces, yet materials, colours, and furnishings - often chosen later - can significantly impact indoor daylighting. This study assessed these effects in a typical open-plan office in Copenhagen using parametric simulations with Radiance through Honeybee in Grasshopper, complemented by a sensitivity analysis following the Morris method. Various office sizes, window-to-wall ratios, orientations, and interior finishes were analysed for daylight factors (DF), Daylight Autonomy (DA), and Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI). Results indicated that the visual transmittance of windows, furniture quantity, and partition height notably influenced daylighting, whereas surface reflectance had a lesser impact. The study also revealed complexities in predicting daylighting due to non-linear effects and variable interactions. The study suggests that designers might overestimate daylight in early design phases when spaces are unfurnished, indicating the need to clarify the use of furniture in daylight certification models.

Da historiografia do espaço escolar à história do lugar-escola

Abstract By taking the educational dimension of the school space as true, the article starts from the emergence of the open plan as a design solution for school spaces to achieve recognition of everyday pedagogical practices as active producers of essential spatialities for the interpretation of the school-place. Thus, the relevance of also mobilizing the marks left by the unpredictability of everyday uses on the school-building as a regime of historical interpretation of the school space is perceived. Through a bibliographical incursion and mobilizing the idea of unpredictability as an interpretative key, a historiographical gap is identified in the general absence of attentive approaches to the impacts of daily adaptations made on school building.

Costs and resource needs for primary health care in Ethiopia: evidence to inform planning and budgeting for universal health coverage.

The Government of Ethiopia (GoE) has made significant progress in expanding access to primary health care (PHC) over the past 15 years. However, achieving national PHC targets for universal health coverage will require a significant increase in PHC financing. The purpose of this study was to generate cost evidence and provide recommendations to improve PHC efficiency. We used the open access Primary Health Care Costing, Analysis, and Planning (PHC-CAP) Tool to estimate actual and normative recurrent PHC costs in nine Ethiopian regions. The findings on actual costs were based on primary data collected in 2018/19 from a sample of 20 health posts, 25 health centers, and eight primary hospitals. Three different extrapolation methods were used to estimate actual costs in the nine sampled regions. Normative costs were calculated based on standard treatment protocols (STPs), the population in need of the PHC services included in the Essential Health Services Package (EHSP) as per the targets outlined in the Health Sector Transformation Plan II (HSTP II), and the associated costs. PHC resource gaps were estimated by comparing actual cost estimates to normative costs. On average, the total cost of PHC in the sampled facilities was US$ 11,532 (range: US$ 934-40,746) in health posts, US$ 254,340 (range: US$ 68,860-832,647) in health centers, and US$ 634,354 (range: US$ 505,208-970,720) in primary hospitals. The average actual PHC cost per capita in the nine sampled regions was US$ 4.7, US$ 15.0, or US$ 20.2 depending on the estimation method used. When compared to the normative cost of US$ 38.5 per capita, all these estimates of actual PHC expenditures were significantly lower, indicating a shortfall in the funding required to deliver an expanded package of high-quality services to a larger population in line with GoE targets. The study findings underscore the need for increased mobilization of PHC resources and identify opportunities to improve the efficiency of PHC services to meet the GoE's PHC targets. The data from this study can be a critical input for ongoing PHC financing reforms undertaken by the GoE including transitioning woreda-level planning from input-based to program-based budgeting, revising community-based health insurance (CBHI) packages, reviewing exempted services, and implementing strategic purchasing approaches such as capitation and performance-based financing.

An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a public-facing office in England

Abstract Background An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with an attack rate of 55% (22/40 workers) occurred at a public-facing office in England from August to September 2021. Published evidence regarding outbreaks in office workplaces remains limited. Aims To describe an investigation of workplace- and worker-related risk factors following an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a public-facing office. Methods The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) Outbreak Investigation to Understand Transmission (COVID-OUT) study undertook an investigation of the outbreak. This included surface sampling, occupational environmental assessment, molecular and serological testing of workers, and detailed questionnaires. Results Despite existing COVID-19 control measures, surface sampling conducted during a self-imposed 2-week temporary office closure identified viral contamination (10/60 samples, 17% positive), particularly in a small, shared security office (6/9, 67% positive) and on a window handle in one open-plan office. Targeted enhanced cleaning was, therefore, undertaken before the office reopened. Repeat surface sampling after this identified only one positive (2%) sample. Ventilation was deemed adequate using carbon dioxide monitoring (typically ≤1000 ppm). Twelve workers (30%) responded to the COVID-OUT questionnaire, and all had been vaccinated with two doses. One-third of respondents (4/12) reported direct physical or close contact with members of the public; of these, 75% (3/4) reported a divider/screen between themselves and members of the public. Conclusions The results highlight the potential utility of surface sampling to identify SARS-CoV-2 control deficiencies and the importance of evolving, site-specific risk assessments with layered COVID-19 mitigation strategies.

Studying the Role of Workplaces Layout on Employees Health: Sick Building Syndrome

Background and Objectives: Workplace architecture is one of the most important factors influencing employees' health and wellbeing. Therefore, it is necessary to study the role of workplace design on the emergence of various types of health problems among employees. The present research aims to study the prevailing conditions at the case studied workplaces and to identify the role of factors influenced by interior layout (location-ergonomics, lighting, indoor air quality (IAQ), temperature, noise, design style, and cleaning) on the emergence of Sick Building Syndrome among employees.
 Methods: In the present study, three administration buildings (roads and urban development office, construction engineering organization, and airport) in Urmia, Tabriz are investigated as case studies and a total of 226 employees working in these buildings are selected as samples. Then, they are asked to fill out a questionnaire to collect the required data. The reliability of the questionnaire is confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient.
 Results: The findings indicate that despite the advantages of open plan layout for the organization of work environments, it still has many negative consequences such as too much noise and distraction, lack of ergonomics, congestion, reduced privacy, and the lack of personal control of environmental conditions. In general, it is not considered an efficient layout design for the workplace.
 Conclusion: The results indicate that to effectively deal with the emergence of sick building syndrome and provide a healthy work environment, it is necessary to establish a balance between various parts in the workplace layout design including private office space, shared workplace, and/or open plan according to the nature and type of work while taking into account the factors and parameters influenced by the layout design and environmental properties.

Why People Hate Open Offices: Open-plan offices create health and productivity problems. Now insights from Deaf and autistic design communities could improve them.

Why People Hate Open Offices: Open-plan offices create health and productivity problems. Now insights from Deaf and autistic design communities could improve them.