Background
The user groups within an academic work environment are diverse. University premises are daily visited by students, teachers and researchers from various fields, as well as support and administrative staff, all of whom have different needs and perceptions of workspace solutions that promote their productivity and well-being. Simultaneously, as a result of the pandemic, the ways of conducting academic work have changed and become more varied. Multilocation work and remote working have become a permanent aspect of work practices, leading to changes in demand for employer-provided spaces.
Objective
Etänä vai läsnä? -research project examines future academic work environments and their development, as well as the perceptions of different stakeholders and organizations. The primary objective of the project is to study the topic from the perspectives of productivity and well-being in work environments. What types of workspaces and operational models are economically sustainable while also meeting the real needs of users? How can we create future information work environments that are both meaningful for users and functionally efficient?
The project studies total of three ongoing workspace development processes at Tampere and Turku universities. By comparing the three spatial development processes, valuable insights can be gained into how spaces can be developed to meet the needs of contemporary work practices and whether participatory development processes matter. The project aims to align the different needs of individuals, teams, and organizations in order to develop new operational models and more effective work environments that serve academic workplaces and, ultimately, the broader expert sector. In a broader university-survey, data collected from users could be utilized to develop participatory approaches. To increase the impact of the results, the project will use a simulation tool to support the assessment of space needs.
Impact
The aim of the project is to provide the academic community, as well as the broader expert sector, with valuable insights to improve working environments in the post-pandemic time. The project promotes the design of facilities that are both meaningful for users and functionally efficient.
Funding
The Finnish Work Environment Fund
University Properties of Finland Ltd (SYK)
Tampere University
Turku University
Partners
The project involves the Unit of Architecture from the Faculty of Built Environment at Tampere University, as well as the Unit of Information Management from the Faculty of Management and Business. From the University of Turku, the project includes the Centre for Collaborative Research (CCR) research group from Turku School of Economics.