Adaptive Workplace with Indoor Health and Comfort Approach Toward Sustainable City

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has an impact on public health, including workplace occupant. The spread of the coronavirus occurs a lot in the workplace. Indoor health and comfort play an important role in providing a healthy and comfortable workplace. Work patterns during the Covid-19 pandemic have changed with the work from home and physical distancing policies. The arrangement of the workplace interior accompanied by indoor health comfort can affect the work experience of occupant. This study aims to produce an adaptive workplace layout design with an indoor health and comfort approach based on occupant perception toward sustainable city. This study uses mix methods with observation and questionnaire survey techniques. The object of research is ten offices in the Medan city, Indonesia. Observations were made to analyze the layout of the workplace, then questionnaires were distributed to employees to analyze their perceptions of comfort and the application of health protection in the workplace. The variables are lighting, ventilation, temperature and humidity, distance of workbench, and health protection. The results showed that the workplace must provide good air quality with the exchange of air through ventilation. Workbench spacing and the use of barriers are most recommended. A workplace with cubical layouts can be arranged parallel to the desk divider as a screen between desks. Whereas in a workplace with non-cubical layouts, work desks can use zig-zag or non-parallel seating arrangements and dividers between tables. Office buildings should prepare a workplace that concerned with space efficiency and comfortable indoor space.