future:workspace – office spaces of the future.
What will offices look like in future? What impact does the working environment have on employee productivity and health? What technical developments are having a considerable impact on energy-saving? These are the key issues that scientists at the TU Braunschweig’s Institute for Building Services and Energy Design (IGS) will be exploring in years to come. Their basis for experimentation is the “future.workspace”, created at the TU especially for this research project. 400 m2 of visionary architecture have been created with the help of innovative technologies and systems to develop test future working environments. One such system is the multifunctional MTS partition and storage wall system from Strähle, which carves out offices and meeting rooms from an otherwise open-plan environment.In addition to modern working needs concerning flexibility of use and communications, the IGS is also especially concerned with air-conditioning for enhanced comfort, and with energy efficiency of the technology used. In this instance, MTS doubles as an extension system and as an important experimental unit, integrating air-conditioning and lighting systems into the partition walls along with the customary soundproofing and sound absorption. By its very nature it therefore underpins the research aim – to save energy and resources by intelligently linking building structures and decentralised technology. The façade, floor and ceiling too are equipped with air-conditioning technology and can each be activated individually in order to assess the effects of the various cooling, heating and ventilation systems for room comfort and energy efficiency. Additional experimental approaches address acoustics and lighting – aspects which also have a major impact on employee well-being and productivity. Comprehensive test series on air speed, CO2 levels, brightness distribution, noise levels and other parameters, not to mention sociological tests, are planned for more research on the various correlations.
The 30 or so scientists and students employed to work in the "future.workspace" are involved in the project at two levels: as researchers and as actual users. The “future.workspace” is also intended to promote knowledge transfer – events and tours will provide information for architects, builders, manufacturers and students.
