The first location observed, taken from 12 to 1 pm, was the Kendeda building. As seen in these images, the outside of the Kendeda building was designed as an Eco-commons. This meant that the plant life and paths through the fauna are regularly maintained. Within the building, mixed seating ranges from tables to bar stools to couches. Consequently, studying this space allows one to analyze the effectiveness of carefully designed spaces for outdoor studying.
The second building, also depicted in the following images, was the Clough Commons. Observations from this area occurred from 1 to 2 pm. This student center’s outdoor area, commonly referred to as Tech Green, has picnic tables and hammocks. Contrastingly, the indoor area studied was the Kladius cafe and neighboring couches. While this building did not focus on its outdoor area as much as Kendeda, the Clough building is in the middle of campus, surrounded by many classrooms and study spaces. Subsequently, studying this space provides data on how similar designs are utilized differently when indoors or outdoors.
As discussed in the dissection, the observations of the study spaces were focused on the attributes that previous papers declared important. The results from those observations can be seen here in this spreadsheet.
This data illustrates specific key trends in indoor versus outdoor spaces. Namely, indoor spaces were occupied by small groups that, while working together, often only engaged in light conversation. Students in these indoor areas also had mixed reactions to the soundscape. While some students used earbuds to create their own backgrounds, others listened to the sounds of the building itself. However, nearly all the students were listening to something from their devices in the outdoor area. Similarly, the observations show that outdoor students were often eating meals. Finally, it should also be noted that while nearly all students were working on personal devices, only students in indoor study spaces could charge those devices.
Through these trends, one can come back to a few key conclusions about indoor and outdoor study spaces. Firstly, while students use and enjoy outdoor study spaces, their utilization is extremely practical. The students outside were taken advantage of behind outside; however, they were doing so while still being productive. In fact, many of these students were both working and eating. This behavior is further highlighted by the fact that numerous students were eating meals outside, not indoors. While one can not be certain why this occurs, one could theorize that students view outdoor areas as inherently messy. Thereby, they can eat outside without worrying about their crumbs.
Secondly, the student’s behavior regarding earbuds is also notable. In both study spaces, many students used earbuds. Using these earbuds illustrates that students across the board often create their own soundscape regardless of where they work. However, a much larger percentage of outdoor students wore earbuds. This indicates that the soundscape of an indoor study space, which in our studies was mostly silent or a cafe lightly playing music, is closer to the soundscapes students desire. Thereby, studying inside gives students the opportunity to get their chosen background noise without wearing earbuds. Contrastingly, the outdoor areas had a less consistent soundscape: as people and things traveled by randomly. This means students did not rely on the space itself to provide their ideal background noise and consciously created it.
Following these trends, one can begin drawing conclusions about what motivates a student to work inside. Firstly, any student who needed to charge the devices they were working on was working inside. This indicates that outdoor studying is only possible when the student does not require an outlet. Additionally, the ability of students to eat while outside allows them to multitask more. This provides a possible reason for students to work outdoors. Finally, a motivation to work indoors is that some buildings offer background noise that students like working to. This explains how some students may work indoors to avoid wearing earbuds for long periods.