INTERIOR DESIGN

LESSON 5
ERGONOMICS AND FACILITIES PLANNING FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

PREPARED BY: EGP

 At the end of this
LEARNIN chapter, the student
can:
G
• Define what is interior design
OBJECTIV • Discuss the ethics of
ES ergonomic interior design
• Discuss the different facilities
and workstation
 A part of environmental design and closely
related to architecture, is the planning and
design of man-made spaces. The functional
INTERIOR applications of ergonomic intuition to home
design are essential. Ergonomically-minded
DESIGN interior design creates living spaces that
promote "easier" living, not only "happier" to
live in, but also because of this convenience.
 1. EQUITABLE USE: To individuals with different skills, the design
Story, Mueller, and is useful and marketable
Mace outlined seven
2. FLEXIBILITY IN USE: A wide variety of individual preferences
concepts of what has and abilities are accommodated by the design
come to be known as
"The Universal Design 3. SIMPLE AND INTUITIVE USE: It is easy to understand the use
File: Designing for of the design, regardless of the user’s background, expertise,
People of All Ages and language ability or current level of focus
Abilities," in North 4. PERCEPTIBLE INFORMATION: The layout efficiently delivers
America, and important information to the user, regardless of
"Universal Design" or environmental conditions or the sensory abilities of the user.
"Inclusive Design" in 5. TOLERANCE FOR ERROR: The layout minimizes risks and the
other parts of the detrimental effects of unintentional or unwanted acts
world in their1998
paper "Design for All" 6. LOW PHYSICAL EFFORT: It is possible to use the design
According to Story et effectively and comfortably, and with minimal fatigue
al, these spaces should 7. SIZE AND SPACE FOR APPROACH AND USE: Reasonable size
encompass: and room, regardless of the user’s body size, posture or
agility, are given for approach, reach, manipulation and usage
 It is not hard to see how it would not
only be easier to use living spaces that
aspire to reflect these values, but would
most likely improve productivity. For
example, imagine a workspace using
thoughtfully-crafted lighting fixtures,
arranged in such a way that they
approximately illuminate the areas of
interest within the room. It would be
easy to move chairs, tables, and
footstools, making the room usable for a
broader variety of uses, while each piece
of furniture would be able to fit
individuals of all sizes and abilities.
ETHICS OF ERGONOMIC INTERIOR
DESIGNS

1. FLEXIBLE PLANNING: Flexible planning is a room’s adaptability to

adjust at a moment’s notice. This means you can’t have any set base-
walls that make up your room blueprint. Alternatively, build rooms
that are very versatile with the function. A great ergonomic design
venture is modular plans. So, prior to bringing the idea to your
consultant, some basic research on them.
2. COMFORT OF MOVEMENT: One of the aspects in an ergonomic design
that you should always emphasize is the ease and comfort of
movement. Yeah, your space is likely to be limited, but that doesn’t
mean you’re going to compromise on the ease of movement.
ETHICS OF ERGONOMIC
INTERIOR DESIGNS
3. FOCUS ON AESTHETICS: Physical comfort is very
important, but what about psychological comfort? One
can’t have a very effective and practical space, but it has
poor aesthetics. It will affect your mind immediately in a
negative way. So, always very carefully consider the
aesthetics of a space and do not put feature over shape.
Bear in mind that both are equally important to you.
4. PHYSIOLOGICAL COMFORT: Spaces which are built for
the body’s physical comfort are the best. Before
finalizing your space layout, always remember the
minimum and maximum space use criteria.
ETHICS OF 5. FUNCTIONAL COMFORT: Imagine this, a
space that was previously used as a shop,
ERGONOM you have to retrofit a study area. Doesn’t
sound tough, doesn’t it? But what if it’s
IC super large or super small store. What if in
the amount of room, you can retrofit your
INTERIOR dream study shelf? This is what determines
a space’s functional comfort. To make the
DESIGN most of your room, you have to be very
careful about designing these elements.
 Ergonomics should be a preventive strategy. If the environments
they build are to be safe, user-friendly and OSHA-compliant,
managers must integrate the elements of human-factors design. In
order to accommodate the vicissitudes of life, such as age, injury,

DIFFERENT sickness and disability, the ideal office design goes beyond the
fleeting qualities of style.

FACILITIES Where ergonomics,-related issues do occur, profitability and

AND efficiency may be directly affected. If their positions and uses are
not carefully-considered, many things found in the work
environment can create possible risks and dangers.
WORKSTATI
ON For example, the number one known offices “near misses” is
slides, spills and falls on frayed rugs, thresholds, and rough or
slippery surfaces. A ”near miss” is an OSHA target statistic that
refers to the almost-occurring accident. Office risks are often
known by tripping over extension cords, getting cut on sharp
corners, and making a top-heavy file cabinet tip over.
 As opposed to human-factor-related,
these hazards are called environmental.
They can quickly receive attention
because they similarly affect everyone and
are easily managed. Such standard risks
that should be considered by a facility
manager when determining ergonomic
stressors in the workplace include:

1. Workstation Design: Worker strain

and pain may result from improper
positioning of office equipment and
materials. For performance, the
architecture of an office and the
density of space are important. To
achieve these tasks, providing a
central place for shared resources
decreases the steps and stress
taken. The shorter the distance from
resources, the more effective
employees will be.
2. Workstation Furnishings: To
have the most versatility and
adaptability for staff, office
furniture must be carefully
chosen.
3. Lighting: To minimize glare and to enhance the contrast on working surfaces
(paper or furniture), and not on computer screens, light sources should be chosen.
To improve displayed contrast, brightness, and character resolution, computer
monitors should be modified. There should be no over- illuminated work zones.

4. Noise: Background noise contributes to high-speed printers,

shredders, copiers, fans and other office devices,. Some
experts feel that the quality of the work environment can be
adversely affected by these noises. Whenever its function
makes it impossible to carry out a regular conversation, the
equipment should be masked or isolated.
5. Desks and tables: The height should be adjustable for desks
and tables. To allow for a body neutral-role, many typing desks
are built to be lower. Desks and tables should allow clearance
of the legs and feet for height, depth and width. For both
standing and seated postures, this is important. Using an
adjustable chair to achieve the correct alignment if it is not
possible to change the desk or table height.
6. Work surfaces: The working
surface should be a size that allows
workers to reach forward and to both
sides comfortably in order to do their
work. To accommodate papers,
machinery, computers, instruments
and tools, the work surface should
be large enough.
7. Keyboard and mouse trays: Common
causes of ergonomic issues are flexible
keyboard trays that slide in and out from the
desk or table. The tray should allow the user
to maintain a neutral wrist-to-keyboard and
mouse alignment. Ideally, about one inch
below the keyboard, the mouse surface is
adjusted. This avoids straining of the shoulder
and wrists.
8. Chairs: Adjustability and ease of use are the
most important things to look for. The height,
width, volume and angle of the seat pan
should be changed. The lower back should
match the lumbar support. For stability, the
chair should be on a five-caster base and have
the proper ”roll” for the contact surface; not
too fast on cement or rubber surfaces., for
instance. Ideally, arm rests should be side-to-
side flexible, enabling the worker to switch in
and out of their chair and workstation easily.
9. Footrests: Be careful not to permit
the feet of shorter staff to dangle. To
mitigate this problem, angled
footrests can be bought. Furthermore,
to allow sufficient legroom and
posture changes, the desk or tabletop
should have a large enough opening.

10. Special devices: Equally critical is

accommodating required aids, such as a
headset or speakerphone, to reduce head
and neck movement during high intensity
phone demand with concurrent keyboard
activity.

11. Other accommodations: It is advisable to

have an energy absorbent floor surface to
minimize worker exhaustion if employees
must stand for long periods. Stools, given
they are sufficiently large, can also assist.
Instructional Videos to Watch
Hospitality Interior Design - Pandemic Future #hospitality #design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttI7SfZTw5Y
Hospitality Interior Designer | Kim Deetjen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z9sjTNhfJc
Burj Al Arab (Interior) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koGmg--P0es
The Design of the Manila Hotel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx-26DRJWpA