Kosten en baten flexibele werkplekken

Real Estate Managemen

Design and management of activity-based workplaces

This chapter presents an overview of the development of activity-based workplaces worldwide, the drivers to change, some main findings from research into workplace management from the last two decades, and lessons learned regarding costs and benefits for organisations and employees. It connects these developments to the work of Frank Duffy and Franklin Becker in the USA and the Center for People and Buildings in the Netherlands. The chapter is a contribution to the book “Dear is Durable”, a Liber Amicorum for prof. Hans de Jonge that was offered to him due to his farewell as professor of Real Estate Management and Development. A pdf of this book can be downloaded from the TU Delft research repository: http://repository.tudelft.nl/ > research repository > search on ”Dear is Durable”.Real Estate Managemen

Towards a more transparent and research based evaluation of design

The student is on the tiptoe of expectation. What will his supervisors say about his final project? The first one is positive about the concept, but criticises heavily on the materials used in the facade. The second one starts a discussion on the contrast between the architectural design and its context. The third one raises questions about some technical details, but is not at all clear about his own opinion. No one asks any question about the costs.Real Estate Managemen

Integrale toegankelijkheid

Accepted manuscriptReal Estate Managemen

Quality of design and usability: a vitruvian twin

This paper explores different indicators of quality of architectural design that are used in debates and design appraisals in the Netherlands. In addition to the old Vitruvian trilogy of utilitas, firmitas and venustas a plea is made for a broad view on quality of architectural design. Because buildings go far beyond “free art”, in particular usability and the user’s point of view should be one of the issues to include in design quality indicators. The theoretical framework of quality indicators has been used to reflect on the criteria that were applied to select the architect of the new Deventer Town Hall plus library. A comparison of theory and practice shows that an integral multi-criteria quality assessment, personal preferences and interests, and practical constraints such as limited time, money and information are at odds. At the same time integrated assessments of designs (ex ante) or buildings-in-use (ex post) are essential to build up a body of knowledge on how to synthesize form, function and construction within the boundaries of project constraints.Accepted Author ManuscriptReal Estate Managemen

A visit to Cornell University, Ithaca, USA: Notes on the International Workplace Studies Program IWSP

In October 2004 I had the opportunity to visit Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The purpose of my visit was to learn more about the International Workplace Studies Program (IWSP) that was launched in 1989 by Franklin Becker and William (Bill) Sims. Frank is the present chair (Bill the former) of the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis (DEA) of the College of Human Ecology. The mission statement of IWSP is to generate research-based information related to the planning, design, and management of facilities that can contribute to the development of more competitive and effective organizations. The focus is on new ways of working and new integrated workplace strategies. A considerable number of case studies haven been executed on the effects of non-territorial offices and teleworking - at home, with the client, in a hotel, in a telework center – on communication, social cohesion, collaboration, attraction and retaining staff, turnover, productivity, and facility costs. Most studies include an extensive review of literature, a user survey with web-enabled questionnaires, interviews with focus groups, observations and analysis of documents. Two overall conclusions are coming up. First of all the need for an integral approach of “The Total Workplace”. This concept refers to: 1) the idea of integrating decisions often considered in isolation by different departments (HRM, IT, design and construction, and buildings operations and management); 2) the idea that the workplace is more than one’s own personal office or workstation, it is the entire workplace (site, amenities, common areas, project rooms, support areas), a “series of loosely coupled settings”; 3) the idea that the processes used for planning, designing, and managing the workplace are as much a part of the building’s quality as are its physical characteristics. A second conclusion is the great value of face-to-face contacts to tacit learning, building trust and social cohesion, and young employees’ learning on the job by becoming an “insider”. The IWSP-research improves our understanding of what is really going on in the offices of our times. The empirical data can be used as a mirror for managers to take well-informed decisions. But the data don’t give us a blueprint how a well performing office should be. Contextual differences with reference to organizational characteristics, working processes, the cultural and economic context, and differences with regard to demographics (age, gender, ethnics) and jobs require more or less a tailor made approach. But taking into account all key findings and lessons learned, decision makers can reduce the risk of “wrong” decisions and improve the probability of positive outcomes. An interesting tool to support complex decisions in accommodating change is the so-called Cornell Balanced Real Estate Assessment Model (COBRA©), a prototype tool, including investment and operational costs, exit costs, key human resource factors, and measures of uncertainty. The COBRA tool may be used to quantify the implications of different assumptions and decisions. For instance the % of productivity increase that is needed to compensate for the high cost of collocating a faculty, or the reduce in turnover to compensate the cost of employee services. It is in particular the combination of soft and hard data and “dollar-metrics” that makes the tool very helpful. This report summarizes the main findings of four weeks of talking, reading, and reflecting. Apart from the discussions with Franklin Becker and William Sims, I had also the opportunity to talk with their colleagues Alan hedge, Lorraine Maxwell and Nancy Wells, with Stephani Robson of the Hotel School, with Robert Abrams of the two-year master’s degree program Real Estate, and, be it briefly, with Mohsen Mostafavi, the brand new Dean of the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.Real Estate Managemen

Als alles werkt, werkt u beter!: De invloed van uw werkomgeving op uw productiviteit

Het lijkt misschien pure luxe om in deze tijd van bezuinigingen te kijken of een werkplek wel prettig genoeg is. Maar als de omstandigheden en de voorzieningen op uw werkplek niet goed zijn, verzet u minder arbeid. En juist in tijden van crisis wil uw manager beslist een team met productieve medewerkers om zich heen. Het is dan ook belangrijk om te kijken of een verbetering in de omstandigheden en voorzieningen kan zorgen voor een stijging van de hoeveelheid werk die u kunt verzetten.Real Estate Managemen

Prestatiemeting en benchmarking: belangrijke basis voor smart workplace management.

Van smart workplaces wordt veel verwacht. Dit artikel presenteert een 4-stappenmodel voor het efficiënt en effectief sturen op toegevoegde waarde van smart workplaces. Vervolgens wordt ingezoomd op het meten en benchmarken van de geleverde prestaties, zowel van de huisvesting, diensten en middelen als van de organisatie en de medewerkers. Het artikel pleit voor een integrale benadering. De inzichten kunnen worden gebruikt bij het opstellen van integrale business cases.Real Estate Managemen

Hoe innovatief is kantoorinnovatie en wat zijn de effecten?

Real Estate Managemen

Lost in a Nursing Home

Many people with senile dementia living in a home for the elderly or a nursing home have problems with finding their way. To a large extent these problems are caused by cognitive and perceptual impairments. Another important factor is the influence of the built environ-ment. The design of many buildings and outdoor spaces provides insufficient environmental support for route learning, wayfinding and topographical memory. A review of the literature on spatial orientation shows that many guidelines can be provided to reduce disorientation. However, little empirical research has been done into the effects of these guidelines.Accepted manuscriptReal Estate Managemen