The analysis of the role of office space architectural design on occupant physical activity

This research work raises the issue that the design of the office environment layout may influence positively or negatively workers trip probability over the course of a typical day at work. A retrospective analysis of data collection that took place at the AT& T Laboratory in 2001 – 2002 in Cambridge has shown that each space has a particular value based on its popularity, defined by the number of trips that the occupant makes to the office destination. The motivational impact of occupant physical activity is being studied and special vocabulary has been designed to describe the types of activity and the reason why a trip may be initiated or influenced. The five month study at the AT&T Laboratory that measures spatial occupancy seeks to identify how this has formed habits. Based on preliminary research and the analysed data, this paper goes on to show that the daily total activity in office hours has the potential to increase, by increasing spatial attractiveness. It also addresses the question of how significant this could be to the occupants’ health and fitness