Digital Equipment Corporation
North Carolina

The objective of this project was to develop a program of space requirements for a Digital Equipment Corporation branch office to be used as a national prototype. Several issues were envisioned as driving forces for program development. These were to improve employee's work environments, increase productivity, and incorporate users perceptions and preferences for new workplace settings. The project involved three elements interrelated to space needs: activity analysis, functional and organizational relationship analysis, and evaluation of perceived adequacy of office workplaces. The client was actively involved in the programming process; first to provide data, and second to gain a clear understanding of the user-environment relationships, their perceptions and their needs. A facility studies committee provided projected space needs. The team included the management and research staff, through individual interviews, group discussions in workshops, and survey questionnaires. Computer simulation of various workplace settings permitted continuous modifications and refinements in response to user groups' requirements.