Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!littlei!reeder
From: reeder@littlei.UUCP (reeder)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Optimal environments for S/W engrs
Message-ID: <326@gandalf.littlei.UUCP>
Date: 4 Aug 88 23:55:23 GMT
References: <387@mfgfoc.UUCP>
Reply-To: reeder@.UUCP (Ed Reeder)
Organization: Intel Corp., OMSO UNIX Development, Hillsboro, OR
Lines: 34

In article <387@mfgfoc.UUCP> ray@mfgfoc.UUCP (Ray Lillard) writes:
>A few years ago I attended a lecture by Tom DeMarco.  He spoke
>on the subject of s/w engineering productivity and factors
>which influence it.  While discussing office arrangements he
>made reference to a study at IBM (San Jose - Santa Teresa,
>I think) which showed that software engineer offices with
>walls, a door, a phone which could be disabled, 30 sq. ft.
>of work surface and 100 sq. ft. of floor space were desirable
>and cost effective.
>
>Can anyone point me to the study (assuming it was published)
>or to any other studies addressing the topic.  The software
>team here is in a large room with constant chatter, telephone
>calls and personal radios that drive me nuts.
>

The article "IBM's Santa Teresa Laboratory - Architectural design for
program development", by Gerald M. McCue,  was published in the "IBM
Systems Journal", Volume 17 Number 1, 1978.  The abstract follows:

  The special needs of the computer programmer in terms of working space,
  furniture design, access to terminals and conference rooms, and overall
  working environment led IBM to construct a facility intended to enhance
  programmer productivity in a development environment.  That facility is
  the Santa Teresa Laboratory in San Jose, California, designed by MBT
  Associates of San Francisco.  This essay discusses the programmer's needs,
  how they were perceived, and the process by which they led to unique
  design concepts, as well as the architectural philosophy underlying the
  design process.

Ed Reeder
Intel Corp.
Hillsboro, OR
(503) 696-2249