Effects of Opaque Patterns on Desk Partitions on Sense of Enclosure in the Work Environment

In office environments, desk partitions are widely used to ensure spaces that enable individuals to focus on their work. By enclosing three sides of a worker’s seating area, partitions effectively block visual stimuli from the surrounding environment, fostering a semi-private workspace conducive to concentration. However, while such partitions support individual focus, excessive enclosure can evoke a sense of confinement or isolation, which may inadvertently hinder open communication and undermine the collaborative benefits integral to modern office dynamics. To address the challenges posed by excessive enclosure in desk partitions, this study focuses on developing desk partition designs that incorporate opaque patterns. These patterns, including gradient and uniform opacity, aim to reduce the sense of confinement while effectively delineating visual boundaries to support focused work. Through two experiments using virtual reality technology, we examined participants’ preferences for specific settings and analyzed their psychological effects, with particular attention to mitigating feelings of confinement and enhancing workspace comfort.In Experiment 1, we investigated the range of opaque patterns preferred by participants for desk partitions to support focused work. Participants wore head-mounted displays and were immersed in a virtual office environment, seated at a desk surrounded by adjustable partitions. They were instructed to modify four specific settings of the partitions —partition height, top-edge opacity, top of the gradation and foot of the gradation. until an environment conducive to concentration. Notably, the results revealed that factors such as ceiling height, desk size, and the level of traffic in the environment did not significantly influence participants' preferences for partition height or opacity.In Experiment 2, we investigated how the presence or absence of gradient patterns and changes in the opacity at the top edge of desk partitions influenced the sense of confinement. While the experimental setup was like that of Experiment 1, participants were instructed to adjust only the partition height, based on their perceived sense of confinement as the selection criterion. The results indicated that partitions with higher top-edge opacity tended to be adjusted to greater heights. Moreover, partitions without gradient patterns were adjusted to greater heights compared to those with gradient patterns. Notably, evaluations of gradient patterns showed a significant shift in preferences around a top-edge opacity of 40%. Additionally, an analysis of the total light transmittance, calculated as the integral of transparency by height, revealed that the sense of confinement was not solely influenced by overall transmittance. Instead, the distribution of transparency—whether created through gradient or uniform patterns—was also identified as a critical determinant.These findings contribute to the design of office environments by illustrating how partitions that reduce the sense of confinement while enhancing focus can support the development of seating layouts aimed at improving intellectual productivity. Specifically, in large office spaces, the strategic placement of partitions with thoughtfully designed opaque patterns can effectively define work areas without obstructing communication. Furthermore, applying this knowledge has the potential to achieve a delicate balance between privacy and collaboration in office design, addressing key challenges in modern office design.