CASE STUDY PLP ARCHITECTURE
WEARABLES
AT WORK
PLP Architecture Partners Ron Bakker, Midori Ainoura and
Bernard Storch, and PLP Labs team lead Alex Davidson
describe the results of an innovative pilot study into
the use of wearables at work
The wearables market is expanding
rapidly, as is the range of health
conditions they can inform us about.
Heartbeat patterns, sleep quality, stress
via skin conductance and brain waves are
all measurable. They could also provide
more of an evidence-based approach to
post-occupancy evaluation (POE) in the
future, according to research published by
the British Council for O ices (BCO) on the
role that wearable technology can play in
workers’ health and wellbeing.
‘Use of Wearables in the Oƒ ice: A review
and examples in practice’ was authored by
Derek Clements-Croome Emeritus Professor
in Architectural Engineering Research at
the School of the Built Environment at the
University of Reading, Joyce Chan-Schoof,
an Architect and a PhD Researcher at the
Design School of Loughborough University
and the project team from PLP Labs - the
research and innovation arm of PLP
Architecture. It reveals that wearables have
the power to alter the employee experience
into one that is healthier and ultimately
more productive.
To support research into the potential
future uses of wearables in the workplace,
the authors conducted a pilot study
involving six volunteers from PLP
Architecture’s staƒ , to help establish a
methodology for undertaking an occupant
health and wellbeing assessment in a
real-world scenario. The participants from
PLP’s staƒ each spent a week working in
a diƒ erent scenario, including a biophilic
space, a cubicle-like environment, an open
24 AUGUST 2021
collected, and what would be the best
way to collect these specific metrics?
How should the data collected be
analysed to draw out meaningful results
on the health and wellbeing of occupants
in a specific oƒ ice, and how could these
results be fitted into existing frameworks
on health and wellbeing?
WEARABLES USED
The pilot study used a fitness wrist band,
posture monitor, and then supplemented
this with an indoor environmental quality
sensor. There are a wide range of diƒ erent
brands that you could use for this, with
numerous options based on your budget.
plan oƒ ice and their home-working setup.
The pilot study is meant as a first
exploration into how these technologies,
and other supporting data-gathering
methods, can be used in the oƒ ice, and aims
to establish:
What types and combinations of
equipment would be most eƒ ective and
practical for a real-world occupant health
and wellbeing assessment?
What supplementary data-gathering
methods would be required to collect
data that the wearables are not able to,
such as subjective experiences?
What types of data would need to be