Introduction

More than ever, researchers are studying every aspect of our physical space. There is detailed information on how lighting, air quality, window access, personalization, layout, colour, and sound can affect worker productivity, well-being, stress, communication, innovation, and more. Through wearable technology, companies can track their employees’ use of space to an alarming degree. In many ways, this is an exciting time. However, the way this information is collected, coded, and categorized can strip it of its less quantifiable qualities. Rich and dynamic accounts of how space is experienced and felt lose their resonance, becoming fragments of themselves or removed altogether as unwanted variables from the research. This book is a collection of those unplaceable experiences, ephemeral moments, gut feelings, and spatial memories. It is a response to the increased need for exploration of an experiential, socio-material approach to organizational studies.