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BEYOND THE OPEN PLAN: NEW SPACE PLANNING CONCEPTS TO SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONAL TECHNICAL AND ENVIROMENTAL CHARGE

Vivian Lofness, Volker Hartkopf, Susan Nurge, Derek Rubinoff

Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics

Carnegie Mellon University - Spring 1994

6. The Mobile Workstation

Workstation on Wheels In this pursuit of smaller workstations with greater control over privacy and spontaneous teaming, there has been a parallel development of mobile workstation concepts. The mobile workstation takes a critical subset of personal possessions and an ergonomic chair and presumes that workers will relocate themselves hourly, daily or on a project basis.

6.1 The Fundi

Under the leadership of Peter Mill, the Architectural and Building Sciences Directorate of Public Works Canada developed a mobile workstation that can be relocated anywhere. Called the Fundi, this prototype was originally conceived as a diagnostic tool to evaluate user preference for environmental conditions. (Kaplan)

The lightweight workstation has multiple worksurfaces, walls and a partial ceiling that can be unfolded on location. The Fundi can then be secured and compactly stored when the employee is away from the office, freeing space for adjacent workers. (Figures 27a & 27b). Mounted on quality casters for easy moving and reconfiguration, the Fundi workstation also supports individual control over light, air flow direction, radiant heat, and acoustic orientation.

The Fundi is able to support an individual's changing needs for working quiet and privacy, group work configurations, reception and meeting needs, as well as needs for views, sunlight and fresh air.

6.2 The Computer Workstand

For the computer based worker, a computer workstand and an ergonomic chair may provide adequate personal tools to ensure an effective workday. CMU's Center for Building Performance and Daedalus Design have put together a number of visions for this mobile workstation, which offer air, heating and cooling, light, and full connectivity for the individual wherever they locate, in workgroups, in library areas, or in the garden (Figures 28a A 28b). The computer' workstand can also be pulled into the conventional workstation to free the worksurface from the growing density of computational hardware, as well as to fully resolve the ergonomic needs of the serious keyboard worker.

7. The Portable Office, the Virtual Office & Ubiquitous Computing

The virtual office is a title for the concept that work may be conducted anywhere, at the individuals preference, given the appropriate technology. Michael Brill of BOSTI suggests that: people may work anywhere out of in "electronic briefcase" (Figure 29). Michael Bell of Dun &, Bradstreet. suggests that through the 'virtual office of portable multi-media networking "there has been a shift in the nature of the workplace, from one defined by specific location to one that is mobile". Xerox Parc suggests that people will work everywhere relying on an ever increasing number of networkable computing materials - laptops and electronic notepads, dictation computers and smart phones. They have coined the term "ubiquitous computing" to refer to these innumerable types of working tools that are instantly networked with almost invisible technology.

The concept of the portable office, the virtual office, and ubiquitous computing is a critical corollary to the three Just – in – Time (JIT) office concepts to be described in the following sections, in which workers relinquish their assigned workspaces for flexi-space. Using virtual office technology like portable computers, electronic notepads, facsimile machines, and paging devices, more and more office workers are conducting over 50% of their work on the road, at home, in hotels as well as in satellite and client offices.

Just-in-Time, Unassigned Workspaces

Three Non – Territorial Space Planning Approaches

The production philosophy known as Just-In- Time or JIT emerged as the leading manufacturing Movement. in the late l980s. Corporations changed their manner of production to eliminate inventory, producing directly upon demand. Recently, space planners are applying this manufacturing principle to facilities management. Just in Time offices reduce space inventory by supplying offices only upon demand, eliminating the idea of an individual's permanent workspace, and introducing unassigned or non-territorial workspaces for sharing by a workgroup, an organization, or several organizations. Three types of JIT office configurations will be described in the following section: Hoteling; Free Address; and Red Carpet Clubs.

The appeal of JIT offices is that they can promise to improve the quality of workspaces while reducing space costs by maintaining fewer but shared unassigned workspaces. Since many employees - such as consultants, accountants, salespeople, field engineers, and project managers - are out of the office for more than half the time, a great deal of space within corporations remains unused. By sharing space through concepts like hoteling, free address and red carpet clubs, companies can reduce their space requirements and improve working conditions.

Each of these office planning concepts are dependent on the technology which makes outof-office work possible. Portable computers, cellular phones, faxes and modems allow work do be done anywhere, thereby leaving more billable time to be spent at clients' offices rather that at headquarters. Networking allows communication between employees out of the office and those employees permanently stationed in the office, as well as allowing the employee on the move to access their. materials at each location.

The JIT advantages for employees is that they are allowed more autonomy in selecting their workplace, commuting time can be reduced, and they have greater access to the latest time-saving technologies. The organization can gain by saving is much is $6000-9000 per year in rent per employee (Brill 1993), while improving the quality of space offered. A key aspect of all of these JIT or unassigned workspace concepts is that the employees do have alternative worksites, be it a car office, a home office, satellite offices, or client office spaces.

JIT or unassigned workspace concepts would not be appropriate wherever worker presence is expected as a measure of effectiveness, where workers need to consistently work in well-defined teams, or where workers need to rely on a large number of personal references, files or equipment (Figure 30). These individuals would need permanently assigned spaces of adequate physical, technical and environmental quality to ensure their productivity.

8. Hoteling Offices

Hoteling is a suite of high quality unassigned closed offices (typically located within an office building) for middle and upper level managers who spend more than half their time out of the office. The office basically operates like a hotel. Employees telephone a facilities manager to make an office reservation for a fixed length of time. Before the employee arrives, the hoteling staff brings that employee's files and personal belongings from storage to the office, and puts his or her name on the door. The assigned telephone number for that. employee is transferred to that it room. Sometimes there is a shared receptionist or secretary to give a sense of organizational 'permanence'.

Hoteling offices are equipped with telephones and computer terminals, connected by a fully integrated communications system. Facilities are capable of supporting multiple networks, phones, fax, copier, printers and other shared office amenities that are needed for employees to communicate. Group spaces and conference rooms can also be reserved.

To make up for the loss of a permanently assigned space in the company, hoteling offices are the same size or even larger than permanent offices, and typically larger than 100 square feet.Office furnishing and equipment are of high quality, paid for by the savings in space reduction that hoteling provides (Figure 31a & 31b). The improvements in office furniture, technology and environmental control should increase productivity and satisfaction, despite the loss of personal ownership over the space.

These "hoteling" suites of unassigned, high quality, closed offices, have been most successful for accountants and auditors, middle to high level professionals who have additional, often primary, workplaces within their client's buildings. Collaborating with a number of firms in high rent areas, hoteling can help companies eliminate the need to maintain independent, costly branch offices.

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