A Stress Free Workplace : Spatially planned office space to diminish environmental stress

The main objective of this thesis was to understand the environmental variables that affect humans psychological states when it comes to stress. More specifically, the environmental variables at the company Maintpartner AB's new Swedish headquarters office in Årsta, Stockholm, a company concentrated on customized industrial maintenance and operation service. In my thesis I found evidence that open-plan solutions would be a stressor due to increase disturbance from coworkers. Open-plan offices could also be perceived as a stressor because of the limitation in personal control. Through implementing nature and/or integrating it via visual escape the space could be perceived as more attractive and less crowded. Maintpartner AB's administrative personnel has highly individual work tasks and therefore a need for customized workplaces. This resulted in a design concept with separated office rooms, individually designed to meet the staffs individual need. Some areas are designed to work as meeting areas for work or social related encounters