A Study of the Desirability Factors of Office Space Arrangement from the Viewpoint of Employees by the Analysis of Space Syntax Indices (Isovist, Integration, and Distance from the door)

Using the results of the assessment of desirability from the viewpoint of employees and the computer analysis of space syntax, the desirability factors of office space arrangement have been analyzed in the present study. To do the research, firstly a pictorial questionnaire was distributed among 113 employees in two offices of Tabriz city. Then, most of the participants were interviewed to obtain the desirable sitting places in the room (considering the position of the door of room, the angle of the sitting and the position of the desk of colleague). Next, using the space syntax indices and applying the space syntax software, the factors which affect the preferences of employees were analyzed. In this regard, three main indices, namely isovist, integration, and distance from the door have been studied. The results show the impact of these indices on the preferences of employees. The significance and impact of the indices have not been similar and in some cases, "distance from the door" has had the highest impact and the "isovist" has had more impact than "integration". In relation to the selection of the sitting place, this research has also demonstrated the impact of organizational and cultural factors on the preferences of employees. The difference between the spatial value of various parts of the room in terms of distance from the door and the position of the door in different cultures, the difference between the results obtained from female respondents and the male respondents in relation to the index of "isovist from outside", as well as the difference between the choices of individuals with different occupational ranks prove the significance of cultural and organizational factors.