A Study of Boundary Areas in Office Space
Saji, Masahiro; Kurita, Mami; Matsumoto, Yuji; Naka, Ryusuke; Yamaguchi, Shigeyuki
2006-05-01 00:00:00
The aim of this study is to find the architectural composition for "boundary areas" in office space. As a first step to reach this aim, this paper focuses on the relationship between architectural planning factors for boundary areas and workers' activities in the office. In this paper we have defined "boundary area" as an area that has no particular function for office work and exists between individual functional spaces. The methods used in this study are listed below. 1. We have examined recent advanced offices in order to investigate a trend for the boundary areas. 2. A case study was conducted in an office focusing on activities that occurred in the boundary areas. In the first study, we found that the zone level boundary area is one of the trend factors for planning recent offices. And we also discovered that the architectural characteristic of the zone level boundary areas could be classified into three categories: "absorber type", "buffer type" and "passage type". In the second study, we confirmed that valuable communication exchanges for office work were activated in buffer type boundary areas. From this case study and former studies, the relations between office planning factors for the boundary areas and communication activities which took place in these areas have been verified through the table in our conclusion. Keywords: office planning; communications; activity; work place; boundary areas 1. Introduction existing office planning methods based on "blocking" ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and "stacking" are not enough to create new office enables people to work interactively at various places space, because these methods are applied to "optimize including outside of office buildings. For example, a area" by dividing or grouping individual functional new work-style called mobile-work or nomad-work space for work processes. Our approach in this study came into being due to the downsizing of personal is to design the relationship between each functional computers. In fact, communication and collaboration space in the office. This paper discusses the importance between distributed workers has become possible. of the boundary areas in the office space and makes From the organizational point of view, it is important clear the workers' activities that occurred in these to relate with workers from other sections and groups areas. or professionals outside the company. Consequently, work-style for employees has been changing and some 2. Composition of Office Space and the Definition of new types of physical workspace have been proposed. Boundary Areas Non-territorial offices and Satellite offices are some The volume of office space can be classified into six notable examples. levels: 1. Building level, 2. Floor level, 3. Function One of the important issues for office planning is level, 4. Room level, 5. Zone level and 6. Work station 'how the workplace creates communication between level. (Fig.1.) Each office space is distributed by floors workers'. Especially with regards to collaborative and walls, and integrated by elevators and corridors. In work, communication is the essential factor for running this study, we define a boundary area as an area that has projects, creating new ideas and solving problems. The no particular function for office work and exists between individual functional spaces. For example, a corridor that is generally designed for connecting rooms is not a *Contact Author: Masahiro Saji, Graduate Student, boundary area. But if the corridor becomes wide enough Graduate school of Design Engineering and Management, to set tables and bookshelves, it would be possible to Kyoto Institute of Technology, 1 Matsugasakihashikamicho call this space a meeting place. It can be used liberally Sakyou-ku, Kyoto-shi 606-8585 Japan as a boundary area. This is just one example of how to Tel: +81-75-705-2338 Fax: +81-75-705-2338 utilize space for a boundary area. The boundary area can e-mail: masahiro_saji@nifty.com ( Received October 11, 2005 ; accepted February 2, 2006 ) be available for various functions. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering/May 2006/52 45 Fig.1. Composition of the Office Space 3. Layout Trends for Boundary Areas In order to investigate layout trends for Boundary areas, we take 182 cases of advanced offices in this study. These 182 cases were collected between 1999 to 2004 from the "Nikkei New Office Award" which was organized by the "New Office Promotion Association" in Japan. We examined the office planning and reported t h e c o n c e p t s t o t h e " N i k k e i N e w O ff i c e Aw a r d " . The number of cases applied in boundary areas was counted for each level in order to examine the tendency of office layouts for the boundary areas. The "layout rate" in Fig.2. is calculated so that the number of cases applied in the boundary area for each level is divided by the total number of cases in each year. Fig.2. Boundary Area Trends in Japan As a result, the layout rate of the building level has the highest ratio, which can explain the fact that the 4. Categories for the Zone Level Boundary Areas entrance to the ground floor of a building, for example, B e c a u s e o f t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e z o n e l e v e l is generally a place where one does not have a clear boundary areas in the previous study, the 69 cases function for office work. Especially if the building is i n v o l v i n g t h e z o n e l e v e l b o u n d a r y a r e a s w e r e taller and has a massive capacity, the entrance needs to carefully examined. We collected data on purposes be a foyer for receptions, meeting space and waiting of office planning concepts for the cases reported to area outside elevators instead of an office space. the competition, and then characterized them into Therefore, the building level is utilized positively as a three categories of "absorber type", "buffer type" and boundary area between the space that is the inside and "passage type". (Table 1.) outside of the building. In order to find the architectural planning factors for What we noticed is that the layout rate of zone the zone level boundary areas, we classified them into levels in 2004 was about five times higher than 2000 three steps: a) Layout patterns and office furniture, b) and increased year after year. This may indicate the Articulation of space, and c) Integration of space. importance of the zone level boundary areas. There Following these steps, we made clear the details of a r e m a n y o p e n s p a c e o ff i c e s t h a t e x i s t i n J a p a n . the architectural characteristics in each type of the zone In addition, the aim of recent office planning and level boundary areas. This was done by comparing designing has been changing from expressing façade the ratio of the total number of offices utilized by the form or characteristic of a company's organization to architectural factor and then dividing them by the supporting activities of workers and teams. number of cases in each type. 46 JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji Table 1. Zone Level Boundary Area Planning Concepts a) Layout Patterns and Office Furniture - Layout Patterns The layout types that have been classified into five patterns depending on the relation when adjoining zones are compared with the ratio. (Fig.3.) According to this result, the passage type shows a high ratio on the layout pattern No. 2. The buffer type reveals a high ratio on the layout pattern No. 4. Additionally, the buffer type takes more than 70 % of the sum of pattern No. 4 and No. 5, which is the layout plan surrounded by the other zone. This is extended to cover the notion of a multiplicity of activities taken in the area from other neighbor zones as one of the planning factors. Fig.4. Office Furniture Organization Fig.3. Layout Patterns Fig.5. Articulation Set Vertically - Office Furniture The office furniture organization is divided into two - Articulation set Horizontally patterns: the concentration pattern that serves at one As a way to articulate horizontally as shown in place with the same office furniture and the spread Fig.6., the architectural factors can also be determined pattern that serves at various places with a variety of by three factors: 1. Roof level, 2. Floor level, and 3. office furniture. (Fig.4.) The spread pattern shows Materials on the floor. higher ratio in all boundary area types, especially in According to this result, the ratio for the buffer the buffer type. The flexible office furniture planning type is similar to the passage type with a high ratio such as spread pattern can be important as the planning for the roof level and materials on the floor factors. factor for the buffer type boundary areas. b) Articulation of Space - Articulation set Vertically As a way to articulate vertically as shown in Fig.5., the architectural factors are determined by three concerns: 1. Stick factors like pillars, 2. Surface factors like walls, and 3. Volume issues like filing cabinets. In comparison with the ratio of these factors, the absorber type has high ratio for surface factors, in other words, it articulates a space clearly. On the other hand, the high ratio of volume that obscures the articulation of a space is in the passage type. Fig.6. Articulation Set Horizontally JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji 47 Considering the ratio of "stick factors" for buffer type in vertical analysis, the buffer type may give a sense of being surrounded in this area. c) The Integration of Space - Integration by Traffic Lines The traffic lines are divided into levels in terms of primary traffic lines, and secondly traffic lines and third traffic lines. (Fig.7.) We analyzed which level of traffic lines were involved in each boundary area. The ratio of the third traffic line in the absorber type boundary area is much higher than the others so that this area is located at the deep circulation level for the planning factor. The point in the line chart indicates where more than two parts of bar chart meet. Over 60 % of the ratio where traffic lines meet is accounted for in the buffer type boundary areas, so that the planning factor for this area can be characterized as the combined traffic line of the circulation level. - Integration by Sight Fig.7. Integration by the Traffic Line The space is judged by the combination of border types: "continuity", "indication", and "barrier". (Fig.8.) And then the space is classified into three categories as listed below. - Continuous space: A space which is composed of only continuous types. - Adjustable continuous space: A place which is composed of only indication types or a combination of indication types and continuous types. And a space that is composed of all three types. - Restricted continuous space: A space which is composed of only barrier types or a combination of barrier types and one of the other types. As Fig.8. indicates, the ratio of continuous space is particularly high in the passage type. And the buffer type accounts for 60 % of the ratio in adjustable c o n t i n u o u s s p a c e . T h e r e f o r e , t h e p a s s a g e t y p e boundary area has good visibility, and the buffer type has an adjustable continuous visibility as the planning factor. 5. Planning Factors for Zone Level Boundary Area As a result of previous studies, the boundary areas have been classified and characterized according to the planning factors. (Table 2.) Fig.8. Integration by Sight Table 2. Planning Factors for Zone Level Boundary Area Absorber type Buffer type Passage type Clear articulation Layout surrounded by the other zone Parallel layout Locate at the deep circulation level Multiplicity of adjacent zones Obscure articulation Flexible office furniture plans Facing to the main traffic line Multiple articulation techniques A clear traffic line A sense of being surrounded with open views A good visibility Combined traffic line of circulation level Adjustable continuous visibility 48 JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji 6. A Summary of the Case Study The case study was carried out in an office where one organization of a company had been occupied. The number of workers who own their personal desks and chairs were 19. The area of this offi ce space is 254[m ]. It is shown in Fig.9. that there were four-zones planned in this offi ce. 1) A personal-work zone where a person works at a personal space on his/her own desk and chair. 2) A creation zone where there is an enhanced meeting room with ICT tools. 3) An amenity zone for relaxation and refreshment, facilitated with different types of chairs and a table of a different height. And 4) An interaction zone where there is no function, but a place to activate workers communication. There is a table 9 meters long and two different types of chairs surrounding communication tools such as projectors, white-boards, etc. We examined the office planning concepts and architectural factors for this offi ce. With a comparison of boundary area types from our previous study, the characteristics we examined for this interaction zone were familiar with the planning factors of the Buffer type boundary areas. (Table 3.) In this case study, we focused on the communication t h a t o c c u r r e d i n t h i s i n t e r a c t i o n z o n e i n o r d e r t o Fig.9. Plan for Case Study Offi ce find out the worker's activities that took place in the photographs by two observers. To make the contents buffer type boundary area . In addition, we verified of the communications clear, the observer interviewed the significance of the activities against their work workers whenever activities took place. Additionally, processes through questionnaire surveys. all conditions of the offi ce including solo-work were also recorded on video camera. 7. Research and Analysis Methods W e c r e a t e d t h e d a t a s h e e t s a n d d e f i n e d The research at the office was carried out for five th rd "Communication IDs" and "Communication scenes" days (from the 29 of Aug. 2004 to the 3 of Sept. as units to count the number of times communication 2004). All the communications and actions of workers occurred in the offi ce. The defi nition is listed below. happening in the office were recorded in notes with Table 3. Planning Factors of the Buffer Type Boundary Area Characteristics of the interaction zone Planning factors Placed in the center of the offi ce space and surrounded by other Layout surrounded by the other zone zones (Personal-work zone, creation zone, amenity zone) Adjoined with various zones (Personal-work zone and Creation Multiplicity of adjacent zones zone) Utilizing offi ce furniture that obscures space (9[m] long table that Flexible offi ce furniture plans is articulated with Pole) Various articulation techniques (design of wall, windows, pillars, Multiple articulation techniques etc.) Articulation technique with ceiling frame A sense of being surrounded with open views Integrate primary traffi c line and other traffi c lines Combined traffi c lines of circulation level Adjustable visibility (roll screens and materials of walls) Adjustable continuous visibility JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji 49 - Communication IDs: example, when group-work is going on and a person T h e n u m b e r o f c o n v e r s a t i o n s w a s d i v i d e d b y wants to have another person's opinion, they can topics of the conversation. For example, both short ask someone else in the office casually, or someone conversations at the personal-work zone and long who looks at the group-work scene and is aware of meetings at the creation zone are counted as one something good can join in and relate his information communication ID, because both have one topic for or idea to the group unexpectedly. each. We counted the number of these incidents in each - Communication scene: zone and compared them to see the relation between The number of conversations was separated when this activity and the architectural factors. As a result, either a tool, place or a person was changed. For the number of incidents at the interaction zone was example, if the conversation starts at a personal desk the highest between zones, and the communication and then moves to the interaction zone to communicate running time was long. In addition, these scenes at the particularity about the same topic, this conversation is interaction zone are mapped on the plane. (Fig.10.) counted up to two communication scenes due to the This shows that a person joining into the middle of a change of place and one communication ID because of group-work appeared between the interaction zone and the same topic. Additionally, if they used a white-board other zones. This is because the interaction zone has with this topic at the same zone, the communication open windows with easy access to other zones, in other should be counted as three communication scenes due words the "adjustable continuous visibility" is one of to the tool used and one communication ID because of the planning factors. the same topic. c) Communications occur Incidentally 7.1 Analysis and Findings T h i s c a n b e s e e n w h e n a w o r k e r g o e s t o t h e Five features were observed from the perspective of bathroom, takes a coffee break or picks up stationery. communication as the activities in this interaction zone The worker may be aware of something on his way from this survey as shown below. and communicates with someone casually. We focused a) Group-work without reservations. o n t h e s e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t h a t t o o k p l a c e a t t h e b) A person joins in the middle of a group-work. interaction zone. The communications that occurred c) Communications occur incidentally. by chance were counted along with the number of d) Solo-work and group-work in one area. the communication scenes. The highest occurrence e) Relations between communication running times of these incidents took place at the amenity zone, and and the number of workers. the second was at the personal-work zone. Although Based on these features, we verified the relation the interaction zone did not show a high number of b e t w e e n t h e p l a n n i n g f a c t o r s f o r t h e b u ff e r t y p e incidents, the position where the communication boundary areas and the activities that occurred in the occurred in the interaction zone was characterized by area. the architectural factors of its zone. a) Group-work without Reservations Fig.11. shows the number of communication scenes The interaction zone and the creation zone are used t h a t o c c u r r e d a t e a c h p o s i t i o n ( M T 1 - A , M T 1 - B , for group-work such as meetings or conferences. MT2-A, MT2-B, MT3-A, MT3-B) with the bar chart. We counted the number of communication IDs as The communication happened at the side along the the number of meetings that was not reserved in the m a i n c o r r i d o r i n t h e o ff i c e ( M T 1 - A , M T 2 - A a n d space. The incidence of such cases was 67 % for the MT3-A). Additionally, the number of communications interaction zone and 43 % for the creation zone. on the side close to the amenity zone is higher. It is In addition, when we asked in the interview about likely that these results can be seen on the effect on meeting space availability in this office, the worker the layout of the interaction zone that is next to the answered that there are meeting places for about different level of the traffic lines. four people anywhere in this office without room d) Solo-work and Group-work in One Area reservations especially in the interaction zone. Fig.12. shows the fluctuation of the utilization for From these results, the interaction zone can be "solo-work", "communication" on group-works and t h e a p p l i c a t i o n f o r a d h o c c o m m u n i c a t i o n s a n d "empty space" in each zone. These are confirmed with group-work. This indicates that group-work without the video recorded every minute in the office. reservation is activated by the planning factors of the In the personal-work zone, the solo-work took place buffer-type boundary area such as "a sense of being continuously from 9:00 to 20:00 all day and many surrounded", "multiple articulation techniques" and communications occurred for a short time. In the "flexible office furniture plans". creation zone, the group-work mainly took place for b) A Person joins in the Middle of a Group-work a long time. The short time solo-work happened just From the survey, the scene of a person joining into before group-work started for the preparation of the the middle of a group-work has been observed as meeting or happened just after group-work finished. a general characteristic of the interaction zone. For The interaction zone showed medium circumstances 50 JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji Fig.11. Communications Occurring Incidentally Fig.10. A Person Joins in the Middle of a Group-work the interaction zone was in between them. Therefore, this interaction zone can diversify the communication between these two zones. Group-work and solo-work between workers in the office. It is likely that these often took place at the same time and at the same p h e n o m e n a r e l a t e t o t h e a r c h i t e c t u r a l f a c t o r s o f table that was facilitated by the 9 meters long table. t h e l a y o u t s u r r o u n d e d b y t h e o t h e r z o n e a n d t h e Additionally, it was observed that the workers doing solo-work at the interaction zone seated on the chairs multiplicity of adjacent zones. at the side having an open view to the office, and the workers doing group-work seated at the other side were 8. Discussion In this case study, we extracted five features a) to turning their back to the office. All of this amounts to e) as activities that take place in the office. It can be saying that the activity of the solo-work and group- stated that all these activities occurred as a result of w o r k i n o n e a r e a o c c u r s b e c a u s e o f " a d j u s t a b l e architectural composition of the boundary areas. continuous visibility" and "flexible office furniture From this case study and former studies of office plans" of the planning factors. planning factors, we made Table 4. for the relation e) Relations between Communication Running between planning factors and activities that occurred Times and the Number of Workers The number of communication IDs observed was i n b u f f e r t y p e b o u n d a r y a r e a s . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e plotted and fitted on the line by the least squares questionnaire survey had been carried out to ask the method in each zone to compare the communication importance of activities (five features: a) to e) in the case study) observed. More than 70 % of workers running times and the numbers of workers. (Fig.13.) indicated a positive answer. Therefore, it is not too far T h e l i n e s f o r t h e p e r s o n a l - w o r k z o n e a n d t h e from the truth to say that the activities that occurred in amenity zone were positioned at a short period of the buffer type boundary areas are important for the work communication running times and small number of processes. workers. The creation zone was positioned widely for This paper presents two issues to support the next the number of workers, but was consistent with the stage of office planning in Japan. communication running times. The positioning for Fig.12. Fluctuation of Each Zone JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji 51 Fig.13. Communications in Each Zone Table 4. Relation between Planning Factors and Activities which Occurred in Buffer Type Boundary Areas Planning factors Activities Layout surrounded by the other zone Activate medium communications such as a short time meeting, ad-hoc meetings, etc. Multiplicity of adjacent zones The communications between workers in office can be diversified. Flexible office furniture plans The communications take place incidentally. Solo-work and group-work occur in one area. Multiple articulation techniques Absorb the communications occurred incidentally. A sense of being surrounded with open views Combined traffic lines of circulation level Activate communications in office. The communications occur incidentally Adjustable continuous visibility A person joins in the middle of a group-work. Solo-work and group-work take place in one area. 6) Aoki, Y. and Yuasa, Y. (1993) Private Use and Territory in Alley- 1. The classification of the zone level boundary Space Hypotheses and tests of planning concepts through the field areas, which is one of the trends for office planning in surveys on alley-space Part1, Journal of Architecture, Planning Japan. (Table 2.) and Environmental Engineering No.449, pp.47-55. 2. The relation between planning factors of buffer type boundary areas and activities that take place in this area. (Table 4.) Future studies might consider examining activities o c c u r r i n g i n " a b s o r b e r t y p e " a n d " p a s s a g e t y p e " boundary areas. Furthermore, the planning factor f o r z o n e l e v e l b o u n d a r y a r e a s c a n b e d e v e l o p e d considering organization and work-style. References 1) Naka, R. and Yamaguchi, S. (2002) A Study on the Tendency of Indicator Value of Office Area for Space Management, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.551, p.135. 2) Shimoda, S., Iki K., Morozumi, M. and Shiota, M. (1997) Analysis M e t h o d o n S p a c e E v a l u a t i o n C o n s i d e r i n g O ff i c e Wo r k e r ' s Attributes and Sections' Physical Environments. Study on facility management system for Japanese industry, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.499, p.245. 3) Shimoda, S., Iki, K., Morozumi, M. and Shiota, M. (2000) Development of Analysis Method for the Improvement of Office Standard by Worker's Evaluations. Study on facility management system for Japanese industry NO.3, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.533, p.275. 4) Shimamura, H., Yamada, T., Sugiyama, T. and Iwata, Y. (1998) A Study on the Free-Address Process of Research Office Part I. The effect of a new type free address office analyzed by user satisfaction evaluation, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.509, p.129. 5) Mori, A., Tsunekawa, K., Kato, A. and le Roux, P.C. (2002) A Study on Relationships among Plan Compositions, Work-Styles, and Communication Behaviors in Office, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.551, pp.129. 52 JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji
http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.pngJournal of Asian Architecture and Building EngineeringTaylor & Francishttp://www.deepdyve.com/lp/taylor-francis/a-study-of-boundary-areas-in-office-space-rehUTJwnjQ
AbstractThe aim of this study is to find the architectural composition for ″boundary areas″ in office space. As a first step to reach this aim, this paper focuses on the relationship between architectural planning factors for boundary areas and workers′ activities in the office. In this paper we have defined ″boundary area″ as an area that has no particular function for office work and exists between individual functional spaces. The methods used in this study...
The aim of this study is to find the architectural composition for "boundary areas" in office space. As a first step to reach this aim, this paper focuses on the relationship between architectural planning factors for boundary areas and workers' activities in the office. In this paper we have defined "boundary area" as an area that has no particular function for office work and exists between individual functional spaces. The methods used in this study are listed below. 1. We have examined recent advanced offices in order to investigate a trend for the boundary areas. 2. A case study was conducted in an office focusing on activities that occurred in the boundary areas. In the first study, we found that the zone level boundary area is one of the trend factors for planning recent offices. And we also discovered that the architectural characteristic of the zone level boundary areas could be classified into three categories: "absorber type", "buffer type" and "passage type". In the second study, we confirmed that valuable communication exchanges for office work were activated in buffer type boundary areas. From this case study and former studies, the relations between office planning factors for the boundary areas and communication activities which took place in these areas have been verified through the table in our conclusion. Keywords: office planning; communications; activity; work place; boundary areas 1. Introduction existing office planning methods based on "blocking" ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and "stacking" are not enough to create new office enables people to work interactively at various places space, because these methods are applied to "optimize including outside of office buildings. For example, a area" by dividing or grouping individual functional new work-style called mobile-work or nomad-work space for work processes. Our approach in this study came into being due to the downsizing of personal is to design the relationship between each functional computers. In fact, communication and collaboration space in the office. This paper discusses the importance between distributed workers has become possible. of the boundary areas in the office space and makes From the organizational point of view, it is important clear the workers' activities that occurred in these to relate with workers from other sections and groups areas. or professionals outside the company. Consequently, work-style for employees has been changing and some 2. Composition of Office Space and the Definition of new types of physical workspace have been proposed. Boundary Areas Non-territorial offices and Satellite offices are some The volume of office space can be classified into six notable examples. levels: 1. Building level, 2. Floor level, 3. Function One of the important issues for office planning is level, 4. Room level, 5. Zone level and 6. Work station 'how the workplace creates communication between level. (Fig.1.) Each office space is distributed by floors workers'. Especially with regards to collaborative and walls, and integrated by elevators and corridors. In work, communication is the essential factor for running this study, we define a boundary area as an area that has projects, creating new ideas and solving problems. The no particular function for office work and exists between individual functional spaces. For example, a corridor that is generally designed for connecting rooms is not a *Contact Author: Masahiro Saji, Graduate Student, boundary area. But if the corridor becomes wide enough Graduate school of Design Engineering and Management, to set tables and bookshelves, it would be possible to Kyoto Institute of Technology, 1 Matsugasakihashikamicho call this space a meeting place. It can be used liberally Sakyou-ku, Kyoto-shi 606-8585 Japan as a boundary area. This is just one example of how to Tel: +81-75-705-2338 Fax: +81-75-705-2338 utilize space for a boundary area. The boundary area can e-mail: masahiro_saji@nifty.com ( Received October 11, 2005 ; accepted February 2, 2006 ) be available for various functions. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering/May 2006/52 45 Fig.1. Composition of the Office Space 3. Layout Trends for Boundary Areas In order to investigate layout trends for Boundary areas, we take 182 cases of advanced offices in this study. These 182 cases were collected between 1999 to 2004 from the "Nikkei New Office Award" which was organized by the "New Office Promotion Association" in Japan. We examined the office planning and reported t h e c o n c e p t s t o t h e " N i k k e i N e w O ff i c e Aw a r d " . The number of cases applied in boundary areas was counted for each level in order to examine the tendency of office layouts for the boundary areas. The "layout rate" in Fig.2. is calculated so that the number of cases applied in the boundary area for each level is divided by the total number of cases in each year. Fig.2. Boundary Area Trends in Japan As a result, the layout rate of the building level has the highest ratio, which can explain the fact that the 4. Categories for the Zone Level Boundary Areas entrance to the ground floor of a building, for example, B e c a u s e o f t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f t h e z o n e l e v e l is generally a place where one does not have a clear boundary areas in the previous study, the 69 cases function for office work. Especially if the building is i n v o l v i n g t h e z o n e l e v e l b o u n d a r y a r e a s w e r e taller and has a massive capacity, the entrance needs to carefully examined. We collected data on purposes be a foyer for receptions, meeting space and waiting of office planning concepts for the cases reported to area outside elevators instead of an office space. the competition, and then characterized them into Therefore, the building level is utilized positively as a three categories of "absorber type", "buffer type" and boundary area between the space that is the inside and "passage type". (Table 1.) outside of the building. In order to find the architectural planning factors for What we noticed is that the layout rate of zone the zone level boundary areas, we classified them into levels in 2004 was about five times higher than 2000 three steps: a) Layout patterns and office furniture, b) and increased year after year. This may indicate the Articulation of space, and c) Integration of space. importance of the zone level boundary areas. There Following these steps, we made clear the details of a r e m a n y o p e n s p a c e o ff i c e s t h a t e x i s t i n J a p a n . the architectural characteristics in each type of the zone In addition, the aim of recent office planning and level boundary areas. This was done by comparing designing has been changing from expressing façade the ratio of the total number of offices utilized by the form or characteristic of a company's organization to architectural factor and then dividing them by the supporting activities of workers and teams. number of cases in each type. 46 JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji Table 1. Zone Level Boundary Area Planning Concepts a) Layout Patterns and Office Furniture - Layout Patterns The layout types that have been classified into five patterns depending on the relation when adjoining zones are compared with the ratio. (Fig.3.) According to this result, the passage type shows a high ratio on the layout pattern No. 2. The buffer type reveals a high ratio on the layout pattern No. 4. Additionally, the buffer type takes more than 70 % of the sum of pattern No. 4 and No. 5, which is the layout plan surrounded by the other zone. This is extended to cover the notion of a multiplicity of activities taken in the area from other neighbor zones as one of the planning factors. Fig.4. Office Furniture Organization Fig.3. Layout Patterns Fig.5. Articulation Set Vertically - Office Furniture The office furniture organization is divided into two - Articulation set Horizontally patterns: the concentration pattern that serves at one As a way to articulate horizontally as shown in place with the same office furniture and the spread Fig.6., the architectural factors can also be determined pattern that serves at various places with a variety of by three factors: 1. Roof level, 2. Floor level, and 3. office furniture. (Fig.4.) The spread pattern shows Materials on the floor. higher ratio in all boundary area types, especially in According to this result, the ratio for the buffer the buffer type. The flexible office furniture planning type is similar to the passage type with a high ratio such as spread pattern can be important as the planning for the roof level and materials on the floor factors. factor for the buffer type boundary areas. b) Articulation of Space - Articulation set Vertically As a way to articulate vertically as shown in Fig.5., the architectural factors are determined by three concerns: 1. Stick factors like pillars, 2. Surface factors like walls, and 3. Volume issues like filing cabinets. In comparison with the ratio of these factors, the absorber type has high ratio for surface factors, in other words, it articulates a space clearly. On the other hand, the high ratio of volume that obscures the articulation of a space is in the passage type. Fig.6. Articulation Set Horizontally JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji 47 Considering the ratio of "stick factors" for buffer type in vertical analysis, the buffer type may give a sense of being surrounded in this area. c) The Integration of Space - Integration by Traffic Lines The traffic lines are divided into levels in terms of primary traffic lines, and secondly traffic lines and third traffic lines. (Fig.7.) We analyzed which level of traffic lines were involved in each boundary area. The ratio of the third traffic line in the absorber type boundary area is much higher than the others so that this area is located at the deep circulation level for the planning factor. The point in the line chart indicates where more than two parts of bar chart meet. Over 60 % of the ratio where traffic lines meet is accounted for in the buffer type boundary areas, so that the planning factor for this area can be characterized as the combined traffic line of the circulation level. - Integration by Sight Fig.7. Integration by the Traffic Line The space is judged by the combination of border types: "continuity", "indication", and "barrier". (Fig.8.) And then the space is classified into three categories as listed below. - Continuous space: A space which is composed of only continuous types. - Adjustable continuous space: A place which is composed of only indication types or a combination of indication types and continuous types. And a space that is composed of all three types. - Restricted continuous space: A space which is composed of only barrier types or a combination of barrier types and one of the other types. As Fig.8. indicates, the ratio of continuous space is particularly high in the passage type. And the buffer type accounts for 60 % of the ratio in adjustable c o n t i n u o u s s p a c e . T h e r e f o r e , t h e p a s s a g e t y p e boundary area has good visibility, and the buffer type has an adjustable continuous visibility as the planning factor. 5. Planning Factors for Zone Level Boundary Area As a result of previous studies, the boundary areas have been classified and characterized according to the planning factors. (Table 2.) Fig.8. Integration by Sight Table 2. Planning Factors for Zone Level Boundary Area Absorber type Buffer type Passage type Clear articulation Layout surrounded by the other zone Parallel layout Locate at the deep circulation level Multiplicity of adjacent zones Obscure articulation Flexible office furniture plans Facing to the main traffic line Multiple articulation techniques A clear traffic line A sense of being surrounded with open views A good visibility Combined traffic line of circulation level Adjustable continuous visibility 48 JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji 6. A Summary of the Case Study The case study was carried out in an office where one organization of a company had been occupied. The number of workers who own their personal desks and chairs were 19. The area of this offi ce space is 254[m ]. It is shown in Fig.9. that there were four-zones planned in this offi ce. 1) A personal-work zone where a person works at a personal space on his/her own desk and chair. 2) A creation zone where there is an enhanced meeting room with ICT tools. 3) An amenity zone for relaxation and refreshment, facilitated with different types of chairs and a table of a different height. And 4) An interaction zone where there is no function, but a place to activate workers communication. There is a table 9 meters long and two different types of chairs surrounding communication tools such as projectors, white-boards, etc. We examined the office planning concepts and architectural factors for this offi ce. With a comparison of boundary area types from our previous study, the characteristics we examined for this interaction zone were familiar with the planning factors of the Buffer type boundary areas. (Table 3.) In this case study, we focused on the communication t h a t o c c u r r e d i n t h i s i n t e r a c t i o n z o n e i n o r d e r t o Fig.9. Plan for Case Study Offi ce find out the worker's activities that took place in the photographs by two observers. To make the contents buffer type boundary area . In addition, we verified of the communications clear, the observer interviewed the significance of the activities against their work workers whenever activities took place. Additionally, processes through questionnaire surveys. all conditions of the offi ce including solo-work were also recorded on video camera. 7. Research and Analysis Methods W e c r e a t e d t h e d a t a s h e e t s a n d d e f i n e d The research at the office was carried out for five th rd "Communication IDs" and "Communication scenes" days (from the 29 of Aug. 2004 to the 3 of Sept. as units to count the number of times communication 2004). All the communications and actions of workers occurred in the offi ce. The defi nition is listed below. happening in the office were recorded in notes with Table 3. Planning Factors of the Buffer Type Boundary Area Characteristics of the interaction zone Planning factors Placed in the center of the offi ce space and surrounded by other Layout surrounded by the other zone zones (Personal-work zone, creation zone, amenity zone) Adjoined with various zones (Personal-work zone and Creation Multiplicity of adjacent zones zone) Utilizing offi ce furniture that obscures space (9[m] long table that Flexible offi ce furniture plans is articulated with Pole) Various articulation techniques (design of wall, windows, pillars, Multiple articulation techniques etc.) Articulation technique with ceiling frame A sense of being surrounded with open views Integrate primary traffi c line and other traffi c lines Combined traffi c lines of circulation level Adjustable visibility (roll screens and materials of walls) Adjustable continuous visibility JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji 49 - Communication IDs: example, when group-work is going on and a person T h e n u m b e r o f c o n v e r s a t i o n s w a s d i v i d e d b y wants to have another person's opinion, they can topics of the conversation. For example, both short ask someone else in the office casually, or someone conversations at the personal-work zone and long who looks at the group-work scene and is aware of meetings at the creation zone are counted as one something good can join in and relate his information communication ID, because both have one topic for or idea to the group unexpectedly. each. We counted the number of these incidents in each - Communication scene: zone and compared them to see the relation between The number of conversations was separated when this activity and the architectural factors. As a result, either a tool, place or a person was changed. For the number of incidents at the interaction zone was example, if the conversation starts at a personal desk the highest between zones, and the communication and then moves to the interaction zone to communicate running time was long. In addition, these scenes at the particularity about the same topic, this conversation is interaction zone are mapped on the plane. (Fig.10.) counted up to two communication scenes due to the This shows that a person joining into the middle of a change of place and one communication ID because of group-work appeared between the interaction zone and the same topic. Additionally, if they used a white-board other zones. This is because the interaction zone has with this topic at the same zone, the communication open windows with easy access to other zones, in other should be counted as three communication scenes due words the "adjustable continuous visibility" is one of to the tool used and one communication ID because of the planning factors. the same topic. c) Communications occur Incidentally 7.1 Analysis and Findings T h i s c a n b e s e e n w h e n a w o r k e r g o e s t o t h e Five features were observed from the perspective of bathroom, takes a coffee break or picks up stationery. communication as the activities in this interaction zone The worker may be aware of something on his way from this survey as shown below. and communicates with someone casually. We focused a) Group-work without reservations. o n t h e s e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t h a t t o o k p l a c e a t t h e b) A person joins in the middle of a group-work. interaction zone. The communications that occurred c) Communications occur incidentally. by chance were counted along with the number of d) Solo-work and group-work in one area. the communication scenes. The highest occurrence e) Relations between communication running times of these incidents took place at the amenity zone, and and the number of workers. the second was at the personal-work zone. Although Based on these features, we verified the relation the interaction zone did not show a high number of b e t w e e n t h e p l a n n i n g f a c t o r s f o r t h e b u ff e r t y p e incidents, the position where the communication boundary areas and the activities that occurred in the occurred in the interaction zone was characterized by area. the architectural factors of its zone. a) Group-work without Reservations Fig.11. shows the number of communication scenes The interaction zone and the creation zone are used t h a t o c c u r r e d a t e a c h p o s i t i o n ( M T 1 - A , M T 1 - B , for group-work such as meetings or conferences. MT2-A, MT2-B, MT3-A, MT3-B) with the bar chart. We counted the number of communication IDs as The communication happened at the side along the the number of meetings that was not reserved in the m a i n c o r r i d o r i n t h e o ff i c e ( M T 1 - A , M T 2 - A a n d space. The incidence of such cases was 67 % for the MT3-A). Additionally, the number of communications interaction zone and 43 % for the creation zone. on the side close to the amenity zone is higher. It is In addition, when we asked in the interview about likely that these results can be seen on the effect on meeting space availability in this office, the worker the layout of the interaction zone that is next to the answered that there are meeting places for about different level of the traffic lines. four people anywhere in this office without room d) Solo-work and Group-work in One Area reservations especially in the interaction zone. Fig.12. shows the fluctuation of the utilization for From these results, the interaction zone can be "solo-work", "communication" on group-works and t h e a p p l i c a t i o n f o r a d h o c c o m m u n i c a t i o n s a n d "empty space" in each zone. These are confirmed with group-work. This indicates that group-work without the video recorded every minute in the office. reservation is activated by the planning factors of the In the personal-work zone, the solo-work took place buffer-type boundary area such as "a sense of being continuously from 9:00 to 20:00 all day and many surrounded", "multiple articulation techniques" and communications occurred for a short time. In the "flexible office furniture plans". creation zone, the group-work mainly took place for b) A Person joins in the Middle of a Group-work a long time. The short time solo-work happened just From the survey, the scene of a person joining into before group-work started for the preparation of the the middle of a group-work has been observed as meeting or happened just after group-work finished. a general characteristic of the interaction zone. For The interaction zone showed medium circumstances 50 JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji Fig.11. Communications Occurring Incidentally Fig.10. A Person Joins in the Middle of a Group-work the interaction zone was in between them. Therefore, this interaction zone can diversify the communication between these two zones. Group-work and solo-work between workers in the office. It is likely that these often took place at the same time and at the same p h e n o m e n a r e l a t e t o t h e a r c h i t e c t u r a l f a c t o r s o f table that was facilitated by the 9 meters long table. t h e l a y o u t s u r r o u n d e d b y t h e o t h e r z o n e a n d t h e Additionally, it was observed that the workers doing solo-work at the interaction zone seated on the chairs multiplicity of adjacent zones. at the side having an open view to the office, and the workers doing group-work seated at the other side were 8. Discussion In this case study, we extracted five features a) to turning their back to the office. All of this amounts to e) as activities that take place in the office. It can be saying that the activity of the solo-work and group- stated that all these activities occurred as a result of w o r k i n o n e a r e a o c c u r s b e c a u s e o f " a d j u s t a b l e architectural composition of the boundary areas. continuous visibility" and "flexible office furniture From this case study and former studies of office plans" of the planning factors. planning factors, we made Table 4. for the relation e) Relations between Communication Running between planning factors and activities that occurred Times and the Number of Workers The number of communication IDs observed was i n b u f f e r t y p e b o u n d a r y a r e a s . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e plotted and fitted on the line by the least squares questionnaire survey had been carried out to ask the method in each zone to compare the communication importance of activities (five features: a) to e) in the case study) observed. More than 70 % of workers running times and the numbers of workers. (Fig.13.) indicated a positive answer. Therefore, it is not too far T h e l i n e s f o r t h e p e r s o n a l - w o r k z o n e a n d t h e from the truth to say that the activities that occurred in amenity zone were positioned at a short period of the buffer type boundary areas are important for the work communication running times and small number of processes. workers. The creation zone was positioned widely for This paper presents two issues to support the next the number of workers, but was consistent with the stage of office planning in Japan. communication running times. The positioning for Fig.12. Fluctuation of Each Zone JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji 51 Fig.13. Communications in Each Zone Table 4. Relation between Planning Factors and Activities which Occurred in Buffer Type Boundary Areas Planning factors Activities Layout surrounded by the other zone Activate medium communications such as a short time meeting, ad-hoc meetings, etc. Multiplicity of adjacent zones The communications between workers in office can be diversified. Flexible office furniture plans The communications take place incidentally. Solo-work and group-work occur in one area. Multiple articulation techniques Absorb the communications occurred incidentally. A sense of being surrounded with open views Combined traffic lines of circulation level Activate communications in office. The communications occur incidentally Adjustable continuous visibility A person joins in the middle of a group-work. Solo-work and group-work take place in one area. 6) Aoki, Y. and Yuasa, Y. (1993) Private Use and Territory in Alley- 1. The classification of the zone level boundary Space Hypotheses and tests of planning concepts through the field areas, which is one of the trends for office planning in surveys on alley-space Part1, Journal of Architecture, Planning Japan. (Table 2.) and Environmental Engineering No.449, pp.47-55. 2. The relation between planning factors of buffer type boundary areas and activities that take place in this area. (Table 4.) Future studies might consider examining activities o c c u r r i n g i n " a b s o r b e r t y p e " a n d " p a s s a g e t y p e " boundary areas. Furthermore, the planning factor f o r z o n e l e v e l b o u n d a r y a r e a s c a n b e d e v e l o p e d considering organization and work-style. References 1) Naka, R. and Yamaguchi, S. (2002) A Study on the Tendency of Indicator Value of Office Area for Space Management, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.551, p.135. 2) Shimoda, S., Iki K., Morozumi, M. and Shiota, M. (1997) Analysis M e t h o d o n S p a c e E v a l u a t i o n C o n s i d e r i n g O ff i c e Wo r k e r ' s Attributes and Sections' Physical Environments. Study on facility management system for Japanese industry, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.499, p.245. 3) Shimoda, S., Iki, K., Morozumi, M. and Shiota, M. (2000) Development of Analysis Method for the Improvement of Office Standard by Worker's Evaluations. Study on facility management system for Japanese industry NO.3, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.533, p.275. 4) Shimamura, H., Yamada, T., Sugiyama, T. and Iwata, Y. (1998) A Study on the Free-Address Process of Research Office Part I. The effect of a new type free address office analyzed by user satisfaction evaluation, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.509, p.129. 5) Mori, A., Tsunekawa, K., Kato, A. and le Roux, P.C. (2002) A Study on Relationships among Plan Compositions, Work-Styles, and Communication Behaviors in Office, Journal of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Engineering No.551, pp.129. 52 JAABE vol.5 no.1 May 2006 Masahiro Saji
Journal
Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering
– Taylor & Francis
Published: May 1, 2006
Keywords: office planning; communications; activity; work place; boundary areas
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