A happy ambience: Incorporating ba and flow in library design

The Role of Interior Design in Enhancing Happiness and Comfort at Educational Institutions in Saudi Arabia: A Case Study of Girls’ College of Science and Arts in Mahayel Aseer, at King Khalid University

The aim of this research was to evaluate how the quality interior design aspects of the staff office spaces at the Girls’ College of Science and Arts, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia, affect their happiness, comfort and performance of their duties, and also proposes a solution based on the sciences of the relationship between happiness and interior design. The aim was achieved by carrying out a survey on staff of the college. The participants were selected using a combination of probabilistic and random sampling. The research found that a good number of staff at the college are not happy with their work environments. Further analysis indicated that interior design deficiency is a major cause of unhappiness of staff at the college. The results showed that this may be attributed to three important aspects of quality interior space furniture: insufficiency of furniture and other workspace items; lack of aesthetics, functionality, comfort, color and materials (low quality materials) of furniture and other workspace items; and a lack of sufficient natural lighting being another major issue affecting the quality of natural and artificial lighting in some offices at the college. Participants were also not comfortable with some materials used in the interior space. The study recommends that office spaces should be redesigned to meet the following interior design criteria: appropriateness for the workplace (size, lighting and materials); color and decorations (non-dark colors); and appropriate accessories and tools of work.

Users’ needs and expectations of immersive learning spaces in an academic library: A survey

This research aims to investigate users’ space requirements, facilities, equipment, environmental needs, management services, and food services in immersive learning space. Descriptive statistical analysis is used to study the degree of users’ demand on spatial factors of different dimensions. The influence of identity and gender on the spatial needs is measured through t-test and one-way analysis of variance. The study found that in terms of space requirements, users are inclined to choose private and quiet seats; in terms of facilities and equipment, the higher the user’s academic status, the correspondingly higher requirements for some space facilities and equipment. Users attach great importance to the environmental elements of the immersive learning space, especially the cleanliness, lighting, acoustic environment, and temperature. Users also hope to use the online reservation services and increase the open time of the library. Although the main purpose of the immersive learning space is to learn, users hope to get food services. According to the research results, suggestions for the improvement of library spaces are put forward: adding special areas for doctoral candidate and faculty community, enhancing space planning, building better online services, building a 24-hour open learning space, and seting up a dining area outside the library.

Inclusive Design of Workspaces: Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Users

Accessible design within the built environment has often focused on mobility conditions and has recently widened to include mental health. Additionally, as one in seven are neurodivergent (including conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia), this highlights a growing need for designing for ‘non-visible’ conditions in addition to mobility. Emphasised by the growing disability pay gap and the disability perception gap, people with disabilities are still facing discrimination and physical barriers within the workplace. This research aimed to identify key ways of reducing physical barriers faced by people with a disability and thus encourage more comfortable and productive use of workspaces for all. Once the need for designing for a spectrum of users and inclusive workspace design was understood, a survey was then circulated to students and staff at a large university in the UK (working remotely from home), with the aim of understanding how people have adapted their home spaces and what barriers they continue to face. Quantitative and qualitative results were compared to the literature read with key issues emerging, such as separating work and rest from spaces in bedrooms. The survey findings and literature were evaluated, extracting key performance-based goals (e.g., productivity and focus within a study space) and prescriptive design features (e.g., lighting, furniture, and thermal comfort), whilst also considering the inclusivity of these features. The key conclusion establishes that, to achieve maximum benefit, it is important to work with the users to understand specific needs and identify creative and inclusive solutions.