Project

Spatial solutions for environmental satisfaction, well-being and work engagement in activity-based offices – ActiveWorkSpace

Space, light and acoustics in support of flexible work and work space selection. The project is called ActiveWorkSpace for short.

Timetable

2018-2023

Objectives

The aim of the ActiveWorkSpace project is to identify key spatial solutions that support the environmental satisfaction, well-being at work and work engagement of employees in activity-based offices.

Materials and techniques

Multidisciplinary research groups

The research groups of the project represent different disciplines. The participants of the consortium of multidisciplinary research groups theorize new scientific data produced from the perspective of occupational health information (the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health), acoustic information (Turku University of Applied Sciences) and spatial planning information (the Department of Architecture, University of Oulu).

The consortium partners have a wide range of expertise to jointly conduct transversal and longitudinal intervention studies in authentic environments. The research is based on discipline-specific and topical top scientific research and laboratory studies.

Results and effectiveness

Through qualitative and quantitative discipline-specific research methods, the consortium partners provide a comprehensive answer to the research question:

How do the spatial solutions of activity-based offices contribute to environmental satisfaction, well-being and work engagement?

Funding

Academy of Finland

The organization of the project

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Principal Investigator, Virpi Ruohomäki

Turku University of Applied Sciences, research and training manager, Valtteri Hongisto

University of Oulu, the Department of Architecture, consortium lead, Aulikki Herneoja

Research group

Virpi Ruohomäki, Annu Haapakangas, Ari-Pekka Rauttola, Pia Sirola

Articles produced in the projec

Haapakangas, A., Sirola, P., & Ruohomäki, V. (2022). Understanding user behaviour in activity-based offices. Ergonomics, 1-13 . Full article: Understanding user behaviour in activity-based offices (tandfonline.com
Sirola, P., Haapakangas, A., Lahtinen, M. and Ruohomäki, V. (2022), Workplace change process and satisfaction with activity-based office, Facilities , vol. 40 no. 15/16, pp. 17-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/F-12-2020-012
Sirola, P., Haapakangas, A., & Ruohomäki, V. (2022). Perception of Work Environment and Well-being in Activity-based Office – Three-wave Longitudinal Study. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies. https://doi.org/10.18291/njwls.135181
Haapakangas, A., Sirola, P. & Ruohomäki, V. (2022). Workspace use, perceived work environment and employee well-being – A case study of an activity-based office . NES-2010 conference publications format (p. 83–90).
Herneoja, A., Ruohomäki, V., Haapakangas, A., Markkanen, P., Paananen, V., Hosio, S., Virkkala, J. & Rauttola, A-P. (2022). In search of bridging knowledge between disciplines: about spatial solutions to environmental satisfaction in knowledge work. TWR Conference Proceedings, (p. 658–668)
Ruohomäki, V., Sirola, P. & Lahtinen, M. (2021) Työn sujuminen, tyytyväisyys työympäristöön ja hyvinvointi monitilatoimistossa. Psykologia 56(04), 433 – 453.
Ruohomäki, V., Sirola, P. & Lahtinen M. (2019). Perceptions of satisfaction, collaboration, well-being and productivity after relocation to an activity-based office. Proceedings of the 50th Nordic Ergonomics and Human Factors Society Conference (p. 206–210).