This thesis is derived from dissatisfaction with the term workâlife balance. Definitions of the term imply that we have the ability to separate half of our time between home and work, but it is never this binary. The term is too simple to describe the vast concepts of work and life. Work-life balance is similar to playing a losing game with time, where one aspect is often neglected, may it be time for self, family, or health. The neglect is a product of overwork and financial stress. In The Healthy Workplace Nudge, they note that "work is baking stress into the workforce and that work is the fifth leading cause of death in America," 1 and that work-related stress is associated with a range of health concerns such as poor mental well-being, social isolation, and chronic diseases.
83% of Americans experience the effects of work-related stress.2 Consequently, they carry these feelings home each day. As factors of life pile on coupled with a range of social issues, life becomes harder to balance between home and work. As a response to rapid and unpredictable changes in society, this thesis aims to explore the ways we live and work. How can home and work environments adapt to the changing needs of society? The initial hypothesis was that a proposed shared living complex has the potential to provide social support and strengthen accessibility to programs where the individual can gain a better quality of life.
Efforts to deconstruct work-life balance include breaking down the concepts of work, life, and self, causing this thesis to seem immeasurable at times. The study's intent is not to completely redefine the term but to explore how individuals can view the term as a more fluid approach to navigating life. / Master of Architecture / Work-related stress is at an all-time high, with 83% of Americans feeling pressure from work and financial concerns.2 The project acknowledges this, but it is not just concerned with those feeling the blow of burnout. Everyone works, adults, children, and teenagers. Work is an indispensable and necessary part of life, and there are multiple types of work. There is financial work, the job you do to pay the bills, there's hobby work, the things you do outside of the place you work and then there's relationship and self-work, this includes taking time to yourself and loved ones.
I selected this thesis topic because it is a topic that I am passionate about and can continue to research throughout my architectural career. It's my fundamental belief that basic conditions of life should not be a struggle. This thesis is intended for people who work endlessly to provide financial support for loved ones, but because of working hours and fatigue are not able to spend time with them. It is also for those who work a demanding job and eventually work themselves into burnout and mental exhaustion, leaving it hard for them to recover. It is also for future workers to highlight the importance of discovering what matters to them.
Whatever your occupation or stage of life, we all work and want a prosperous life. This thesis attempts to study how everyday work and living can be supported to give individuals better control of their time to focus on what gives them a purpose. On average, 86.9% of our time is spent indoors (at work and home).3 This thesis aims to explore a new approach to work-life balance by examining the term through the lens of physical space and architecture. In the following pages, I am working to understand how the proposed architecture can support people on a daily basis.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115438 |
| Date | 15 June 2023 |
| Creators | Walker, Arielannia Verdella |
| Contributors | Architecture, Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C., Murphy, Cristina Cassandra, Kelsch, Paul J. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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