Towards an Environmental Psychology of Workspace: How People are Affected by Environments for Work

Abstract

Inquiry into how people experience environmental conditions at work is a growing area of study. Until the 1980s, there was insufficient research on ‘workspaces’—and on office environments in particular—to warrant review. Since that time, the range and number of studies of workspace have burgeoned. This paper will identify and review the main themes and findings of this area of research with the objective of defining basic parameters and prevailing theories of the environmental psychology of workspace. These will generate questions and directions for future research.

Keywords:

• Ambient environmental conditions
• Ergonomics
• Functional comfort
• Furniture
• Health and safety
• Office buildings
• Office layouts
• Productivity
• Satisfaction
• Territoriality
• User participation
• Workspace