Redesigning the working space for social distancing: Modelling the movement in an open-plan office

Abstract

The global pandemic has reshaped the use of working space dramatically, mainly due to the implementation of the working from home policy and indoor social distancing requirements. This calls for the rethinking of the current office design approaches and the proposal of specific design strategies to provide a safer and healthier environment for employees to return to their offices. Also, the demand for enhancing office design to accommodate special and rare events like the pandemic is identified. More resilient and flexible office designs are needed for the post- pandemic era. This study aims to provide an insight into the human movement in the open-plan office setting by simulating the movement using agent-based modelling. Normal scenario and special scenarios with social distancing standards and reduced office capacity are simulated. The simulated scenarios contribute to the development of the new adaptive office design approaches for a safe office resume.