| Title |
A Study on Area-specific Preference for Openness within Open-Plan Offices |
| Authors |
신정은(Shin, Jeong-Eun) ; 임호균(Lim, Ho-Kyun) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2023.39.12.43 |
| Keywords |
Open-Plan Office; Office Areas; Office Space Configuration; Office Design; Preference Survey |
| Abstract |
In a changing society, open-plan offices are evolving towards improved configurations, including selectively enclosed spaces. This study
explores employee preferences for openness in various areas of open-plan offices. The goal is to provide foundational data for future office
design. The study employed a literature review and online surveys. It examined open-plan office concepts and current status via literature,
and surveyed employees aged 20 to 50+ in such setups. The survey assessed satisfaction levels with fully open and partially open offices,
preferences for spatial configurations, and how general traits influenced preferences. The study's findings yielded several significant
conclusions. Firstly, employees demonstrated a higher level of satisfaction with partially open open-plan offices, indicating a tendency towards
favoring the presence of some enclosed spaces. Consequently, the pursuit of a balance between personal workspace and communication
environment within partially open designs appears crucial. Secondly, among various spaces within open-plan offices, enclosed designs were
preferred for specific areas such as private offices, team leader rooms, conference rooms, meeting rooms, small meeting rooms, training
rooms, locker rooms, and phone booths. Therefore, there is a need to design spaces requiring authority or confidentiality in a closed manner.
Thirdly, variations in preferences for specific spaces based on gender, company type, and the number of office users were observed,
emphasizing the importance of considering these differences in the design of open-plan offices. In summary, this study contributes to
enhancing the job satisfaction of employees by providing insights for a more gratifying work environment and guiding the future design of
open-plan offices towards more effective directions. |