Cognitive-sensitive multi-domain office design through person–environment congruence: an evidence-informed framework for employee psychological outcomes

This study examines the associations between perceived Person–Environment Congruence (PEC) in multi-domain office environments and employees’ focus, stress, and well-being through an evidence-informed perception-based evaluation framework. Data were collected from 217 employees across 11 professional architectural offices in Tehran, Iran, using a structured questionnaire. The analytical approach integrated Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE), Python-based non-parametric statistical analyses, robust regression, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), and Machine Learning-based Feature Relevance Analysis (ML-FRA) to examine the relative relevance of workplace characteristics associated with employees’ psychological outcomes. The findings indicate that natural lighting, neutral and calming color schemes, spatial autonomy, flexible layouts, acoustic quality, ergonomic furniture, and biophilic elements were among the most relevant workplace characteristics associated with greater focus, lower perceived stress, and higher well-being. The results further suggest that combinations of workplace features demonstrate stronger associations with psychological outcomes than individual design attributes considered separately, highlighting the value of a holistic PEC-informed approach to office design. The study focuses on perceived cognitive and affective experiences rather than direct neural or physiological measurements, aligning with established perspectives in environmental psychology and architectural design research. Overall, the findings provide evidence-informed insights for cognitively-sensitive and user-centred workplace design and support decision-making in architectural design management.