Today, most of us work and many of us are full-time employees. Millions of people spend the majority of their time at an office place working with other people, often in a group working with other groups. We can sense that the office is a site where we connect with others.It seems fairly obvious that when designing any office place, the need for social interaction should always be considered. Still, the contribution of the office environment to any office worker's social life is often overlooked or unobserved. The central question posed by this thesis is: Can an office place be more responsive to the social needs of humans?To address this question, the first portion of this thesis documents the need for social interaction in our everyday life and its benefits for individuals as well as the community. The second portion interprets photographs taken outside and inside conventional office environments in Indianapolis, Indiana; the photo galleries reveal the behavior of regular people around and in the work place. Three cases studies are then offered; the cases provide insights into design and the participatory processes central tosocialization. To conclude, design recommendations are offered that will better connect people to other people in the office place.This work is based on personal observations along with readings done in related subject matter as observed by social psychologists, philosophers, architects, and designers. Research conducted in the field of management provides an additional line of inquiry and its own perspectives. / Department of Architecture
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/188369 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Shah, Krina R. |
| Contributors | Janz, Wes |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | x, 98 leaves : ill. (some col.), plans (some col.) ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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