by Chuck First, AIA
2001 Corporate Architects Group Chair

Over the past century, the physical effects that buildings can have on people have become more apparent. A body of scientific data and preventive guidelines has emerged to create the discipline of ergonomics, and repetitive motion syndrome, height-adjustable chairs, and keyboard wrist supports have became a part of the vocabulary of design professionals, especially those who plan for corporate offices.

Another issue of the workplace is indoor air quality and the damaging effects of toxins such as asbestos, mold, and product off-gases. Designers who created environments that exposed occupants to these substances joined the ranks of manufacturers and professionals vulnerable to legal action. Here again, scientific analysis eventually defined the original problems, and the resulting data became the basis for new solutions.

Uncharted territory
Today, the scientific community has shifted its focus from physical effects to psychological and sociological impacts. More specifically, researchers are asking this question: “How does stress affect people, and how can it be abated?” The focus of this article is the psychological impact of stress and how buildings either increase or reduce stress levels.

In “Stress at Work,” the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reported:

• 40 percent of workers reported their jobs were very or extremely stressful
• 25 percent view their jobs as the number-one stressor in their lives
• 75 percent of employees believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago
• 29 percent of workers felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work
• 26 percent of workers said they were “often or very often burned out or stressed by their work”
• Job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than are financial or family problems.

The 2002 Gallup Poll, “Attitudes in the American Workplace,” found that:

• 80 percent of workers feel stress on the job; nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress, while 42 percent say their coworkers need such help
• 14 percent of respondents felt like striking a coworker in the past year but did not
• 25 percent felt like screaming or shouting because of job stress, and 10 percent are concerned about an individual at work they fear could become violent
• 9 percent are aware of an assault or violent act in their workplace, and 18 percent had experienced some sort of threat or verbal intimidation in the past year.

For further details and a self-assessment survey, visit the Institute of Stress Web site.

Hurtful design: an early diagnosis
As evidence continues to pour in regarding environmental stressors, a new question emerges that could concern architects: “Does building design cause stress for its users?” Although studies have yet to confront this question in a big way, some connections can be explored now.

Wayfinding: Building designs can confuse users. A circuitous network of pathways, complicated arrangement of space, or mysterious use of forms can thwart a person’s effective understanding and navigation of his or her daily routine. Frustration can build when meaningful movement is not possible. In a study of pedestrian movement in large, multilevel developments in London, higher concentrations of visitors followed the simpler, more discernible routes. And a study of New Jersey train commuters showed that stress levels are directly related to predictability of travel.

Flexibility: People are naturally adaptable, but being in an inflexible and unforgiving physical environment causes stress. This can occur anywhere in the physical hierarchy—in the interiors, the building, or the neighborhood. Architects may be tempted to see their products as something static and benign. Too often, though, there is churn within the building, and this is something that should be taken into account during planning and design.

Flexibility comes from choice. A study of purchasing choices at grocery stores verified the importance of choices for engagement and satisfaction. Shoppers were more likely to sample products, make a decision, make a purchase, and be satisfied with that purchase if they could choose from a moderate number of selections. The study confirmed the public’s aversion to either too many or too few choices.

Personalization: Large, monumental buildings can be sterile, with no sense of welcome or human scale. People need to feel like they belong, and a neutral environment can send a message of rejection. The “Dilbert” comic strip has become the modern icon of this condition. A study in Kentucky showed much higher employee satisfaction when people are allowed to individualize their work stations.

Empowerment: In Healthy Work, Robert Karasek and Tores Theorell point to international studies showing that stress stemming from a lack of control results in cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, in the practice of architecture, the end users generally have little to no control over either the design process or the end product. Decision-making is done by the planner, the client/executive, or some combination. Either way, the user must make the “space-tool” work, even if it is mismatched to the work with which he or she is most familiar. According to the model presented by Theorell, the greater the disconnect, the greater the stress.

Medicine for offices (and other buildings)
Some researchers have found that elements in our external environment can moderate the effects of stress. One stress study selected two groups of Wall Street stockbrokers who were on medication for high blood pressure. One group received a dog or cat as a pet, while the control group had no pets. The group with the pets had only half the blood pressure increase of the control group (see reference 3).

Another study looked at the relation between music and anxiety before, during, and after cataract surgery. One group heard music of their own selection in the operating room; the second group had no music. The group with music had significantly lower responses of surgical anxiety, as measured by blood pressure and heart rate. Not only did this confirm the benefits of an environmental intervention, but it also demonstrated the benefits of self-determination (see reference 4).

Take one a day
The negative and potentially unhealthy conditions noted in the diagnoses section also have their antidotes. The following guidelines point the way toward a stress-free building:

• Clarity. Make wayfinding as simple as possible. This becomes critical the more complex the building’s function. Offer signs and design cues to assist. Observe and get feedback on what actually works.
• Flexibility. Create dynamic layouts that can easily be changed. There is a natural tendency in architectural design to define uses. However, most major architectural elements are difficult and expensive to move. Today’s office must be able to redefine itself almost yearly. Fixed elements on the perimeter of the envelope with internal elements made of lightweight, portable, or disposable materials will facilitate future adaptation.
• Personalization. Find ways to let people reflect their personalities and interests within a facility. People of many ages, nationalities, and work styles occupy today’s workplace. An architect cannot possibly invent a one-size-fits-all solution that comfortably accepts such complex diversity. The designer’s new challenge becomes how to plan for and permit the expression of individuality.
• Inclusiveness. Architects must reinvent their processes in a way that shares decision making and design control with the users. Let’s pretend: Your next project will be a joint venture, and your partner will be the workers themselves. How can you best develop a strong relationship that captures their expertise and yours? Empowerment is a word and concept that is not easily manifested, especially within architecture. Urban planning offers the best example of incorporating public participation in the creative process.

There is still much to learn about the subject of stress. Even the scant information currently available, however, indicates that architecture plays a role in generating stress. As architects, we can ensure that buildings become the solution, not the problem.

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