This book brings together concepts from the building, environmental,
behavioural and health sciences to provide an interdisciplinary
understanding of office and workplace design. Today, with changes in the
world of work and the relentless surge in technology, offices have
emerged as the repositories of organizational symbolism, denoted by the
spatial design of offices, physical settings and the built environment
(architecture, urban locale). Drawing on Euclidian geometry that
quantifies space as the distance between two or more points, a body of
knowledge on office buildings, the concept of office and office space,
and the interrelationships of spatial and behavioural attributes in
office design are elucidated. Building and office work-related
illnesses, namely sick building syndrome and ailments arising from the
indoor environment, and the menace of musculoskeletal disorders are the
alarming manifestations that critically affect employee satisfaction,
morale and work outcomes. With a focus on office ergonomics, the book
brings the discussion on the fundamentals of work design, with emphasis
on computer workstation users. Strategic guidance of lighting systems
and visual performance in workplaces are directed for better application
of ergonomics and improvement in office indoor environment. It discusses
the profiles of bioclimatic, indoor air quality, ventilation
intervention, lighting and acoustic characteristics in office buildings.
Emphasis has been given to the energy performance of buildings, and
contemporary perspectives of building sustainability, such as green
office building assessment schemes, and national and international
building-related standards and codes. Intended for students and
professionals from ergonomics, architecture, interior design, as well as
construction engineers, health care professionals, and office planners,
the book brings a unified overview of the health, safety and environment
issues associated with the design of office buildings.
