Case study: Open plan “closed” offices or closed plan “open” offices

In today’s built environment designers likes to blur the lines between categories and closed and open offices are no exception. Spaces are being built with high walls and doors but no ceilings. The occupants often call these “private” offices but how “private” are they? Are they open spaces or closed spaces, what are the expectations and how should we handle these spaces? Past experiences in these hybrid spaces have led me to question our measurement techniques. This case study will explore back to back measurements using the closed office method of ASTM E 336 vs the open plan method of ASTM E 1130 each calculated for Privacy Index (PI) in the same space and conditions.