Life of Work

This book sets out a template for the future of the workplace by adopting a series of novel perspectives on how office design can learn from other environments in the world around us. Based on a five-year research project between the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art and Haworth, it takes lessons from the knowledge interactions of the academic library, the emotional landscapes of stage design, flexible temporary events in the city and intensive team environments in air traffic control and emergency medical departments. The book views working life as a combination of process and experience - what we do, and how we feel. By exploring analogous environments, it builds up a whole new picture of the workplace encompassing not only physical settings but also people's psychological experiences within those spaces. Life of Work offers a framework to escape from the tradition of mechanistic workplaces that are programmed for maximum efficiency without taking into account the human need for comfort and connection.
Written by RCA researchers Jeremy Myerson and Imogen Privett and drawing its evidence from a range of global sources, Life of Work: What Office Design Can Learn From the World Around Us sets out an agenda for change that has significant implications for every level of workplace design and implementation. It will be of value to anyone who has an interest in architecture or interior design, the politics and management of the working environment, space design and urban planning as well as furniture design and production.