No_6_June_1969 — Page 33

о

RECEPTIONST

MACHINE ROOM

ala

WASTING AREA

STORES

TRANING

STATIONERY SALES REPT

STORE

AND STAFF RM

POSTERIOR SPECIALLY „DRESSED TO FORM MATITION

To

MANAGER

CORROBOREE

ROOM

CONFERENCE

ROOM

Office layout

At the outset of the study research- ers realised that the communications links within an office were not, as had been previously assumed, up and down the traditional organisational chart but rather across the chart, from the sec- tion of one branch to the section of another.

Major distractions were caused by movement when personnel were not placed in the near vicinity of colleagues whom they would have to contact in the course of their normal working day.

Bearing these points in mind tech- niques were devised to measure com- munications needs within an office so that the communications pattern of the organisation could be established. In this way it was possible to discover what actually happened rather than what should happen according to the procedure.

In parallel with this study research- ers had to find out how much furniture and space was required by individuals if they were to carry out their jobs efficiently, satisfactorily and comfort- ably within the office.

The aggregate of the space require- ment linked to the communication plan then determined the optimum size and shape of the office floor required to accommodate the groups of people that needed to work together.

The 'subjective rooms' evolved and those within a group who were forced by the demands of their work to make

frequent contact with members of other groups were placed on the perip- hery so that they had visual as well as physical contact.

The desired flexibility and ease of communication could only be achieved by having open offices but by solving the communications problem others were created. Planners were left with the problems of acoustics, noise dis- traction, ventilation and lighting.

Comfort

Attention was focused on floor covering and after detailed studies were completed it was decided that the most economic form of covering was wall to wall carpeting. As a bonus the acousti- cal problems were also partly solved and the standards of comfort greatly improved. Ventilation could not be provided on a personal basis and the solution was full air conditioning.

Plants are used to break up the lines of direct vision between indivi- duals and this eliminates one of the main causes of distraction.

Other major causes of distraction in an office were considered and after study a set of rules was produced which controlled the siting of all the desks and work stations within a group.

Coffee and tea wagons also create a distraction when they visit working areas. As well as requiring staff to operate them they represent a potential hazard to documents on desks. Regular

delivery times cannot be adjusted to appointments and meetings, so work tends to become subservient to the coffee and tea break. Another import- ant point was that a person seated at his desk within the communications network cannot concentrate as he has to surrender to the demands of visitors and telephone calls. Performance is also impaired when someone is chained to uniform activity and a short break in a different atmosphere refreshes the mind and improves productivity.

It was decided to provide areas for relaxation and refreshment that would benefit both employees' health and operating efficiency. Hot and cold drinks are available for staff through- out the morning and afternoon.

Technical difficulties connected with the supply of services such as telephones, teledictation and power to desk positions were solved by installing a simple 4ft. 6in. underfloor grid which would allow a flexible power off-take pattern.

BP have found that the panoramic open plan allows for more effective use of floor space and creates an office that is sufficiently flexible to meet changes in staff requirements. Adminis- trative efficiency is improved and operation costs reduced. At the same time status is maintained and privacy unimpaired.

Designers of the KL office are Architects Team 3.

Far East BUILDER, June 1969

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