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- Bodin Danielsson, Christina, et al.
(author)
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Difference in satisfaction with office environment among employees in different office types
- 2009
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In: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. - 0738-0895. ; 26:3, s. 241-257
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Differences between office types may have an influence on the employees' satisfaction and psychological responses with respect to different aspects of the office environment. For this study, 469 employees rated their perceptions of and satisfaction with the office environments of seven different office types, which were classified as cell-office, shared-room office, small open-plan office, medium open-plan office, large open-plan office, flex-office, and combi-office. Three domains of environmental factors were analyzed: (1) ambient factors, (2) noise and privacy, and (3) design-related factors. Employee responses were evaluated using multivariate logistic and Poisson regression., Adjustments were made for potential confounders such as age, gender job rank, and line of business. Substantial differences between employees in different office types were found The analysis of frequencies in complaints within the three domains shows that noise and privacy is the domain that causes the most dissatisfaction among office employees. Cell-office employees are most satisfied with the physical environment overall, followed by those in flex-office. However the results for cell-office are not uniformly best, since they score low with regard to the social aspects of design-related factors and, in particular on support of affinity. The most dissatisfaction is reported in medium and large open-plan offices, where the complaints about noise and lack of privacy are especially negative. Architectural and functional features of the offices are discussed as the main explanatory factors for these results.
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4. |
- Hellström, Björn, et al.
(author)
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Acoustic design artifacts and methods for urban soundscapes : A case study on the qualitative dimensions of sounds
- 2014
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In: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. - 0738-0895. ; 31:1, s. 57-71
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The amount of noise in urban settings is steadily on the rise, creating a potential health hazard and causing a general nuisance. In major European cities, noise levels are so high that the majority of urban parks can no longer truly serve as recreational environments, a problem the World Health Organization and the European Union are attempting to address. This study explores various strategies that promote the sustainable development of urban soundscapes at locations meant for rest, recreation, and social interaction. Further, we look at how people are affected by the combined effects of traffic and nature sounds in parks and other outdoor settings. To this end, we adopted a new track the use of interdisciplinary methodology that brings together architectural analysis, artistic experiments, and psychoacoustic methodology to evaluate the aesthetic, emotional, perceptual, and spatial effects of noise on subjects spending time in public open-air spaces. We conducted a large-scale case study at a city park to explore whether subjects were affected by purposely distributed sounds and, if so, how The working hypothesis was that it is possible to cancel out or mute traffic noise by affecting individuals' aural perceptions using a process known as informational masking. Our long-term objective is to create a scientific foundation for action plans, both preemptive and troubleshooting, targeting noise reduction in parks' and similar public spaces that are meant to provide a relaxing environment.
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5. |
- Hägerhäll, Caroline, et al.
(author)
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Nature In The Office: An Environmental Assessment Study
- 2017
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In: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. - 0738-0895. ; 34, s. 133-146
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Passively viewing nature may promote psychological restoration relevant for office work. The objective of this paper is to explore how natural elements in the indoor work environment are experienced. An on-site assessment with between-subjects design (n = 56) and a photo-based assessment with a crossover design (n = 46) compared three interiors of a windowed office setting with either plants, inanimate objects, or no added objects. Semantic environmental assessments were used, including a work-scenario task. Both studies indicated that the setting with plants was assessed more favorably than the setting without added objects. In the photo-based study, the interior with plants was perceived as more fascinating and produced a more positive emotional state conducive for work productivity than either of the other interiors; the interior with plants was also the preferred work environment in the photo-based study. The results are discussed within the framework of Stress Recovery Theory and Attention Restoration Theory. Issues regarding the use of a multi-method approach are also addressed. Understanding how natural elements indoors are experienced has an important role to play in restorative environmental design research.
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6. |
- Marcheschi, Elizabeth, 1980, et al.
(author)
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Physical-environment qualities of supported-housing facilities for people with severe mental illness
- 2014
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In: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. - : Locke Science Publishing Company. - 0738-0895. ; 31:2, s. 128-142
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The physical environment of supported-housing facilities (SHF) for people with severe mental illness has mainly been investigated in terms of neighborhood quality and community integration, largely neglecting the design of housing attributes. This study investigated whether SHFs with high and low levels of physical-environment quality differed in their support of users' (residents and staff) needs, which were operationalized in terms of perceived visual pleasantness, homelikeness, and positive psychosocial processes. The perception of supportive characteristics in 20 SHFs was assessed by SHF residents (n = 72), SHF staff (n = 117), a user-group panel (n = 3), and environmental psychologists (n = 5). The results showed that SHFs with "high" environmental quality - characterized by features such as clear demarcation between the spaces, suitable facilities, and proximity to green environments - did a better job of supporting users' needs. Users and experts perceived physical-environment qualities in largely the same way The implications of these findings are important for those with severe mental illness, as the findings emphasize the relevance of physical-environment quality in SHFs for users' well-being.
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7. |
- Tucker Cross, Lisa, et al.
(author)
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Environmental atmosphere of outdoor residential areas in southern Sweden: A comparison of experts and residents
- 2004
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In: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. - 0738-0895. ; 21:1, s. 74-90
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this project was to help bridge the gap between developers and residents by creating a design criteria checklist for outdoor residential areas and to validate the checklist by means of a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) carried out by the residents in six housing areas. Items addressed in the checklist covered general layout, complexity and coherence, identity and affection, construction materials, greenery, climate, pollution and noise, ecological sustainability, meeting areas, privacy, security and traffic control, and maintenance. The reliability of the expert form amounted to r =. 71 and each expert showed significant positive correlations with the other experts. The agreement between experts was consistently higher for some areas than for others. Based on 406 individuals, a factor analysis was carried out for the POE data, which rendered the following factors: Attachment, Outdoor Enjoyment, Aesthetics, Sustainability, and Social Interaction. The assessments by experts and residents were compared in terms governed by the structure of the factor analysis. The validation showed that POE Attachment was predicted by the total score of the expert form and that specific clusters of expert items predicted Outdoor Enjoyment and Aesthetics. It was not possible by means of the expert form to predict Sustainability and Social Interaction. We suggest that this tool will be useful for design education, for designing new residential areas, and for the assessment of existing residential areas. Copyright (C) 2004, Locke Science Publishing Company, Inc.
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- Tucker Cross, Lisa
(author)
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Evaluations of Swedish outdoor living environments: Cultural impact of environmental perceptions
- 2007
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In: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. - 0738-0895. ; 24:4, s. 338-349
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a previous study by Tucker Cross and Kiiller (2004), a method was developed for describing environmental atmosphere based on Swedish expert evaluations of six multifamily housing areas in southern Sweden. The assessments of these experts were validated by residents using post-occupancy evaluations (POE). The main purpose of that study was to determine if experts could predict environmental qualities that residents desired within their outdoor living environment. One aim of the present study was to compare the Swedish expert findings with the assessments made by foreign professionals using the same checklist in order to discover any significant agreements and differences between these groups. The checklist used in this and the previous studies consisted of items that cover general layout, complexity and coherence, identity and affection, construction materials, greenery, climate, pollution and noise, ecological sustainability, meeting areas, privacy, security and traffic control, and maintenance. One concern regarding the use of checklists by professionals from different regions might be the validity of specific items and the relevance of these items to various cultural aspects. Despite the large differences in cultural backgrounds between the professionals coming from Northern Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe, the environmental assessments showed consistent similarities between the groups. Eighteen of the items significantly differentiated between the residential housing areas. For four items, significant group differences were noted, and for three items there was a significant interaction effect between groups and areas. The instrument has shown its potential as a reliable and valid checklist even when used by a diverse group of foreign professionals.
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9. |
- Vestbro, Dick Urban
(author)
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Citizen participation or representative democracy? : The Case Of Stockholm, Sweden
- 2012
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In: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. - 0738-0895. ; 29:1, s. 5-17
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Swedish planning model, as it developed during the period of 1945-1985, was a typical modernist top-down model that provided no scope for direct citizen participation. Regardless, in the 1970s, demands for popular participation in planning became prominent. A new planning and building act was passed to provide for consultancy with the general public. The experience from Stockholm, where the author served as a city councillor for 11 years, shows that the law has been implemented formally but also that there are a number of obstacles to participation in planning. One important obstacle is that developers have usually made up their minds when plan proposals are presented for consultancy, so the proposals are not open to changes. Another obstacle is that plan proposals are difficult for citizens to understand. This article argues that public participation can be strengthened by working out more than one alternative proposal for consultations, introducing child-impact assessments of plan proposals, and using the reverse planning process, in which citizens are invited to identify desirable changes to their own neighborhoods. Citizen participation is seen as a supplement to the representative democratic system, not a replacement.
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10. |
- Vestbro, D U
(author)
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Collective housing in Scandinavia - How feminism revised a modernist experiment
- 1997
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In: Journal of Architectural and Planning Research. - 0738-0895. ; 14:4, s. 329-342
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper the Scandinavian, mainly Swedish, experience of experimental housing with shared facilities is discussed in the light of current reconsiderations of the modernist paradigm in architecture. The modernist collective housing writ, based on services through employed staff is compared to the new type of communal housing, based on the inhabitants' own collective work developed after 1975. Both models are analyzed in relation to changes in family structure and sex roles. It is argued that, although both types have been advocated by women, the collective work model is mom in line with current feminist goals.
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