The placement of workspaces within apartment floor plans has become increasingly important, yet architectural guidance remains limited. This study examines whether a workspace near the entrance transition zone supports cognitive performance differently from one deeper within the private zone, drawing on privacy regulation theory.
Forty-two participants completed a counterbalanced within-subject VR experiment comparing two domestic workspace configurations. Cognitive workload was evaluated using objective task performance (word recall and reading comprehension), subjective workload ratings (NASA-TLX), and AI-based voice affect analysis.
The entrance-adjacent workspace condition improved word recall accuracy by % 16.66 points (p < 0.001; Cohen's dz = 0.85) and significantly reduced response times for both reading (−2.88 s; p < 0.001) and recall tasks (−8.99 s; p < 0.001). In contrast, workspaces located deeper within the private zone were associated with elevated voice-derived indicators of confusion and stress, which corresponded with slower task responses. These findings suggest that spatial embedding within the active private zone may increase cognitive strain rather than reduce it.
This study is limited by its controlled VR setting, modest sample size (N = 42), and comparison of only two apartment-based workspace configurations, which may restrict generalisability across dwelling types, household compositions, cultural contexts, and real-life work routines. The acoustic conditions were represented through fixed 20 dB(A) and 40 dB(A) scenarios, rather than longitudinal in situ monitoring. Nevertheless, the findings imply that workspace location should be treated as a measurable design variable affecting cognitive workload, task efficiency, and residential planning guidance for healthier work-from-home environments.
The findings have social implications for housing equity, domestic well-being, and future work policy. As home-based work becomes embedded in everyday life, poorly located workspaces may intensify stress, distraction, and unequal productivity outcomes, particularly in smaller or shared dwellings. Evidence-based residential design should therefore prioritise quiet, spatially buffered work zones that protect privacy and concentration without isolating occupants from family life. These insights can support healthier remote-working environments, inclusive apartment standards, and policy guidance that recognises cognitive performance as part of domestic quality of life.
This study provides empirical evidence that domestic workspace placement influences cognitive efficiency, challenging the assumption that deeper private-zone locations support better concentration.
