Rasheed E.O., Khoshbakht, M., Baird G. (2019). Does the number of occupants in an office influence individual perceptions of comfort and productivity. School of Built Environment, Massey University 9(73), 1-14. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/002c/585ac648e23bf99a6adb6d7a5ef9d288eed3.pdf?_ga=2.1270578.280905200.1653976067-1132705026.1653976067

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

An article that presents evidence of occupants' perception of their work environment in five different office types (Solo, Duo, 2-4, 5-8 and 8Plus offices). Used a dataset of 5000 respondents in 67 commercial and institutional office buildings on their perception of comfort and productivity in their office environments.

Does the Number of Occupants in an Office Influence Individual Perceptions of Comfort and Productivity?

Cellular offices
- also known as enclosed offices
- tend to accommodate one or two individuals in private rooms

Open-plan offices
- characterized by a lack of interior walls
- tend to contain greater number of individuals at separate workstations

Cellular vs Open-Plan offices

In a work environment, comfort "typically denotes the ability of the environment to provide pleasant and stimulating working conditions for occupants to be productive."

Comfort Definition

In a work environment, productivity is "not only a matter of improving the speed and accuracy of routine tasks, but also generating new ideas, being creative, working effectively in teams, and creating knowledge that adds value to the organization."

Productivity Definition

This study ultimately showed that occupants in Solo and Duo offices perceived higher satisfaction with their environment, better health and productivity than those in 5-8 and 8Plus offices. Solo and Duo offices have more personal control over IEQ (indoor environmental quality) and noise levels.

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