The Pattern of Office Space Utilization in Urban Area to Meet the Requirements of Business Sector in the Industry for Thailand's Development

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the urban office space utilization preferences among employees of companies or organizations within Thailand s-curve industries, including to examine the demographic characteristics and work-related attributes of these employees that influence their level of urban office space utilization preferences, as well as a comparative analysis is conducted to explore differences in urban office space utilization preferences between employees in Thailand’s first s-curve industries and new s-curve industries. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey administered to 300 employees of companies or organizations within Thailand s-curve industries. The sample was divided into two groups: five of Thailand’s first s-curve industries and five of Thailand’s first s-curve industries, with 30 respondents representing each industry. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and research hypotheses were tested using t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings show that respondents expressed a high to very high level of urban office space utilization preferences. Semi-public zones were identified as the most highly demanded, as they facilitate collaboration, knowledge exchange, and communication among employees. This preference is consistent with the nature of work in Thailand s-curve industries, which emphasize innovation and the integration of multidisciplinary knowledge. This was followed by private zones, which reflect the need to balance collaborative work with tasks requiring concentration and individual focus, and public zones, which primarily contribute to the creation of a conducive work atmosphere and the enhancement of organizational image rather than serving as core functional work areas, respectively. At the item-specific level, workspaces and meeting rooms emerged as the office space types with the highest levels of demand among respondents, as these spaces are fundamentally and directly associated with core organizational work processes and productivity outcomes. Respondents need workspaces as small-group offices and cubicle-based workstations with an area exceeding 6.00 square meters, located near office equipment or storage areas and meeting rooms, as well as there was a strong demand for enclosed meeting rooms equipped with video conferencing systems, encompassing small, medium, and large meeting rooms, and situated near waiting areas and pantry spaces for tea, coffee, and beverages. In addition, the hypothesis testing results indicated that marital status, average monthly personal income, work tenure, and the characteristics of the existing workspace significantly influenced respondents’ demand for urban office space utilization. Conversely, the respondents’ current industry sector showed no statistically significant influence on their demand for urban office space utilization. This suggests that urban office space utilization preferences are increasingly shaped by common workforce characteristics and contemporary work practices, rather than by industry-specific differences.