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The Curse of Open Plan

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02/08/2016

BBC Radio 4 - The Curse of Open Plan

Sound expert Julian Treasure explores how open plan design affects us.

Documentary. Open plan design is everywhere. But why? Sound expert Julian Treasure explores how it affects people's lives.

Open plan design is everywhere. But why? Office surveys say that most workers find the layout noisy and disruptive, preventing them doing their job properly. Julian Treasure explores the extent of the problem and how unwanted noise affects our productivity, health and well-being. 

How did open plan evolve from the factory floor and cubicles of the past? Does the blame rest with the economics of property development and current trends in architecture? 

There are pros - the collaborative aspects, for example - but how can we resolve the cons and create better offices of the future?

Contributors include: Prof. Jeremy Myerson, Royal College of Art; Tim Oldman, Leesman Index; Richard Mazuch, architect with IBI Group; Katrina Kostic Samen, KKS Strategy; Prof Bridget Shield, South Bank University; Ian Knowles, director of acoustics at Arup.

Producer: Dom Byrne
A Greenpoint production for BBC Radio 4.

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