อิทธิพลของสภาพแวดล้อมกานภาพภายในสำนักงาน ที่มีต่อพฤติกรรมของผู้ใช้ : การศึกษากรณีตัวอย่างอาคารสำนักงานใหญ่ ของธนาคารกสิกรไทยและธนาคารศรีนคร / วีระ อินพันทัง = The impacts of physical environment of office space on users' behavior : a case study of the head-office bulidings of Thai Farmers Bank and Bangkok Metropolitan Bank / Vira Inpuntung
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of physical environment of office space on users’ behavior. Two office buildings with different physical characteristics of space selected for study are the Thai Farmers Bank Head – Office and the Bangkok Metropolitan Bank Head – Office. It was hypothesized that different physical characteristics of office space of both buildings would reflect different behaviors of users. This hypothesis follows the aspect of environmental psychology theory which states that physical environment influences human behavior. People behave differently in different environments. Other related variables investigated are the preference in floor location of users’ workspace, length of occupancy and density. These variables were expected to effect users’ behavior other than physical environment. For Thai Farmers Bank Building, only 3 – 7 th floor were selected for study. It provides almost square shape space at each floor with single vertical circulation core system and is divided into multiple horizontal circulation within the building. The Office layout is open – planned with columns within the working space. For Bangkok Metropolitan Bank, only 3 rd, 4 th , 5 th , 7 th , 9 th , 10 th floor were selected for study. Long and narrow rectangular space were observed at this building with vertical circulation core split on both ends of the building. They are joined by horizontal circulation. The open plan office space is laid out without columns and are partially divided with partitions or office furnitures. At the Thai Farmers Bank the average working area per person is 4.2 m, while that at the Bangkok Metropolitan Bank is 9.2 m. Results obtained from questionnaires distributed to employees working in both buildings, sampled randomly, are as follows : Respondents in the Bangkok Metropolitan Bank show more positive attitude towards floor location, internal circulation and working space.
It is possible that the different attitudes of respondents in two buildings reflect influence of physical environment. Although the floor location of working space of both buildings are not quite different, the two separate exits at the Bangkok Metropolitan Bank provide more convenient accessibility than the Thai Farmers Bank. There is more simple internal circulation pattern at the Bangkok Metropolitan Bank Building. The partial partitioning of the open plan office space at the Bangkok Metropolitan Bank Building offers more privacy and quietness. In addition, the office space at the Thai Farmers Bank Building is higher in density than at the Bangkok Metropolitan Bank. As density increased, the users tended to perceive the environment as narrow, crowed, and rather lacking of privacy. Respondents in the two buildings prefer to work on the floors close to the ground level, especially these that are not higher than 4 th floor because of the desire for convenient accessibility. Only 8 percent of the respondents of the Thai Farmers Bank tend to locate themselves near column while respondents of the Bangkok Metropolitan Bank tend to locate themselves away from passage. 78. 1 percent of respondents of the Bangkok Metropolitan Bank favor split core of vertical circulation system. However, respondents of the Thai Farmers Bank prefer single core. Respondents in both buildings reported that they preferred open – planned layout. It reflects the experiential consequences that people would prefer the familiar environment. The results of this study also implicate that respondents ( only in the Thai Farmers Bank) of longer occupancy tend to have more positive attitudes towards their physical environment. Respondents in both buildings tend to prefer working in the familiar floor location. This research reveals that physical environment of office space tends to influence users’ behavior, and hence supports the stated hypothesis. The results are subjected to future research in specific areas. They have positive implications for designing office environment in a behavioral approach. The goal to increase the work efficiency can thus be achieved.
