Conclusions
The lack of findings directly relevant to the influence of open-plan office furniture design and layout on environmental satisfaction makes it difficult to specify furniture choices or layouts for optimal environmental satisfaction. The methodology, measurement techniques, and lack of replication of most studies contribute to the difficult interpretations and comparisons of the findings. In spite of these challenging issues, a few principles can be extracted from the current review.
Features of furniture design and layout affect occupants by addressing their physical and task needs, privacy needs, and need for recognition. The degree of fulfilment of these needs influences environmental satisfaction. The furniture and layout features relating to each need are summarised thus:
Physical and Task Needs
• Location
• Furnishings
• Chairs
• Storage
• Adjustability
Privacy Needs
• Partition shape and height
• Degree of enclosure
• Low noise levels
• Workstation size
Need for Recognition
• Space for display of personal items
• Space, furnishings, and equipment suited to one's status
The literature did not conclusively demonstrate general relationships in which specific furnishings or layouts were superior to others in fulfilling these needs. However, it is clear that when occupants experience their needs as fulfilled, their environmental satisfaction is improved. Meeting individual needs – which vary by job type, individual characteristics, and from one task to another – leads to improved satisfaction, but there is no universal way of doing this. Designers of open-plan office space should take the fulfilment of these needs as a goal of the design process, seeking the best available evidence (as it accumulates) to determine the best practical implementation for the given circumstance. Some of the outstanding research questions revealed by this review will be addressed in analyses of COPE field data.