Serendipity
Serendipity
In her original research, Dr Amy Thomas (Architecture) looked at the role of gender in the design of commercial buildings and interiors in London’s Financial District after 1945. Through a historical analysis of architecture, she exposed inequality in the workplace.
“Men in those days often had prestigious corner offices with windows and views,” Thomas explains. “Women, who predominantly held administrative positions, sat in open spaces and had no privacy whatsoever.” This piqued Thomas’s curiosity: how did these design choices affect women’s well-being, health and career development? She expanded her research, was awarded a Veni grant for it and started delving into topics such as motherhood and health. She also studied what other scholars wrote on the subject. In one such work, a book by Michelle Murphy, she read about the pioneering role US women’s unions had in creating awareness about sick building syndrome. This is a condition in which people experience health complaints caused by being in a particular building.
Thomas wanted to know whether similar activistgroups existed in the UK. And this turned out to be the case. Feminist workers’ collectives, breastfeeding activists and mothers’ groups were already campaigning for the creation of better working conditions for women in the 1970s and 1980s. And while the architecture of office spaces wasn’t their direct concern, they did empower women to take charge. Thomas: “They simply asked women what they needed. By listening to their experiences and telling others their stories, they were already bringing about change.”
Cry rooms and spaces for yoga
She found out that even today, women’s specific needs are hardly discussed with them, despite the growing attention to well-being and health in office design. According to her, the focus is often on equal opportunities and pay, with less consideration to the impact the working environment has on women. “Cry rooms (soundproof rooms that people can withdraw to to cry in silence, process emotions or reduce stress, ed.) or yoga rooms are being built to improve well-being, but wouldn’t it be better to investigate what is causing the stress that people might be experiencing? Small, everyday irritations are often overlooked, while they have a big impact when they are allowed to accumulate. Think of having to pump breast milk in a dark broom closet. A woman who is breastfeeding needs to pump, even if the space in which she does so is anything but optimal. Because women tend not to complain, such problems go unnoticed.”
Grant
Inspired by the practical approach of feminist groups fifty years ago, Thomas applied for the Impact Explorer Call of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The grant of 30 thousand euros, specifically intended for the further exploration of unexpected research findings, will allow her to ask women about their experiences and needs in the workplace. To this end, among other things, she is organising a workshop in which women can share their workplace experiences and come up with creative solutions. Thomas hopes her research will lead to new insights and guidelines for designers and developers so that offices can be made more inclusive. “This will allow us to design workplaces in which everyone feels at home.”
Accidentally stumbling onto something unexpected is a common occurrence for scientists. This time: how the work of activist women’s groups from the 1970s and 1980s are inspiring change in contemporary office design.
Text Marjolein van der Veldt
© Photos Sam Rentmeester
Amy Thomas has been awarded the Impact Explorer Call of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), for her research.
Thomas wants to know how design choices in interiors of office spaces affect women’s well-being, health and career development.
Accidentally stumbling onto something unexpected is a common occurrence for scientists. This time: how the work of activist women’s groups from the 1970s and 1980s are inspiring change in contemporary office design.
Text Marjolein van der Veldt
Photos Sam Rentmeester
In her original research, Dr Amy Thomas (Architecture) looked at the role of gender in the design of commercial buildings and interiors in London’s Financial District after 1945. Through a historical analysis of architecture, she exposed inequality in the workplace.
“Men in those days often had prestigious corner offices with windows and views,” Thomas explains. “Women, who predominantly held administrative positions, sat in open spaces and had no privacy whatsoever.” This piqued Thomas’s curiosity: how did these design choices affect women’s well-being, health and career development? She expanded her research, was awarded a Veni grant for it and started delving into topics such as motherhood and health. She also studied what other scholars wrote on the subject. In one such work, a book by Michelle Murphy, she read about the pioneering role US women’s unions had in creating awareness about sick building syndrome. This is a condition in which people experience health complaints caused by being in a particular building.
Amy Thomas has been awarded the Impact Explorer Call of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), for her research.
Thomas wanted to know whether similar activistgroups existed in the UK. And this turned out to be the case. Feminist workers’ collectives, breastfeeding activists and mothers’ groups were already campaigning for the creation of better working conditions for women in the 1970s and 1980s. And while the architecture of office spaces wasn’t their direct concern, they did empower women to take charge. Thomas: “They simply asked women what they needed. By listening to their experiences and telling others their stories, they were already bringing about change.”
Cry rooms and spaces for yoga
She found out that even today, women’s specific needs are hardly discussed with them, despite the growing attention to well-being and health in office design. According to her, the focus is often on equal opportunities and pay, with less consideration to the impact the working environment has on women. “Cry rooms (soundproof rooms that people can withdraw to to cry in silence, process emotions or reduce stress, ed.) or yoga rooms are being built to improve well-being, but wouldn’t it be better to investigate what is causing the stress that people might be experiencing? Small, everyday irritations are often overlooked, while they have a big impact when they are allowed to accumulate. Think of having to pump breast milk in a dark broom closet. A woman who is breastfeeding needs to pump, even if the space in which she does so is anything but optimal. Because women tend not to complain, such problems go unnoticed.”
Grant
Inspired by the practical approach of feminist groups fifty years ago, Thomas applied for the Impact Explorer Call of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The grant of 30 thousand euros, specifically intended for the further exploration of unexpected research findings, will allow her to ask women about their experiences and needs in the workplace. To this end, among other things, she is organising a workshop in which women can share their workplace experiences and come up with creative solutions. Thomas hopes her research will lead to new insights and guidelines for designers and developers so that offices can be made more inclusive. “This will allow us to design workplaces in which everyone feels at home.”
Thomas wants to know how design choices in interiors of office spaces affect women’s well-being, health and career development.