User Psychology in Architecture of Workspace

Abstract

The spatial knowledge of our environment is an unconscious requisite for all of us. People working in offices spend the better part of their day in a built environment, ergo, much of their thoughts about space are directly connected to the spatial design and architecture of their surroundings. Design of any space or building, consciously or unconsciously, includes user psychology. Clearly, the design of a utilitarian building is different than that of a recreational one, or that of an office different from that of a restaurant. The reason being unconscious user psychology. When function of any building to be designed is stated, the designer trying to conceive ideas starts with some mental image with reference to the function. The office spaces are usually designed for strictly utilitarian purposes with the design reflecting so. The practice often leads to monotony among employees. Office is a place where one is supposed to stay, work and interact for 10 hours a day. Accommodating as many workstations as the space can, the working spaces and environment are not designed by keeping in mind the user’s mental and physical needs, who have to spend maximum amount of time in the place. Needs of users are not only related to ergonomics and spaces but psychology of spaces is also a very important aspect, it can increase or decrease productivity of workers in an office to a great extent. This paper attempts to explore the theory of user psychology considerations in workspace architecture and their effects.