Space dynamics for work performance enhancement in open plan office

Abstract

In this study, the effect of indoor soundscape perception of open plan office (OPO) on work environment preference and perceived productivity was investigated. First, for auditory information, 12 sound source samples that contain various noise sources were collected through in-situ measurement in a traditional OPO. Visual information was modelled by three OPO environments with different internal layouts. The subjective evaluation environment was implemented in a laboratory condition using virtual reality technology for a total of 36 stimuli according to the combination of audio-visual stimuli. Subjective evaluation was conducted on 41 subjects, and they were asked to respond to sound source identification, perceived affective quality, and overall quality. As a result, it was found that noise perception for conversation and computer peripherals wasdominant in the office environment. When indoor soundscape perception is analyzed by dividing it into comfort – content dimension, it was found that securing comfort is effective in promoting preference for work environment, and securing content has an important effect on perceived productivity increase. However, since comfort appears to reduce perceived productivity, a balanced design between comfort and content is required. The findings of this study are expected to be utilized as basic data for designing a sound environment for open plan offices