International Conference | Bari- Lecce, Italy
Session XII
A REVIEW OF INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN OFFICE ENVIRONMENTS
Reeny M. Thomas1 & Hasim Altan1
1 Sustainable Design of the Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering & IT, British University in Dubai, UAE, reenymt @ gmail. com, hasim. altan @ buid. ac. ae
Abstract
As people spend increasing amounts of time within their work environments, it is essential to ensure that office environments are not detrimental towards the health and well-being of the employees. Creating healthy work environments not only reduces health risks, but also has improved levels of work performance and productivity, thereby resulting in economic savings for all parties involved. Although there is an extensive body of research on the effects of indoor environmental quality within office environments, they are often specific to particular aspects. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of three such aspects within the work environment; indoor air quality, thermal comfort and acoustics. By conducting an extensive literature review, it is aimed to provide a basic understanding of effectively facilitating these three aspects in creating healthy work environments. A study of indoor air quality in office buildings shows that only 26 % of the buildings tested achieved the minimal occupant satisfaction levels, while merely 11 % of the buildings exceeded it( Huizenga et al. 2006). Occupant control of thermal environments leads to greater satisfaction levels of 76 % compared to 56 % for those without( C. Huizenga et al. 2006). Ambient speech in office environments can result in reduced work efficiency in over 50 % of the occupants( Jensen & Arens 2005). Thus, a clear understanding of these elements of unhealthy indoor environments is a crucial preventive measure for designers. The paper will also consider research of indoor environmental quality of green buildings in order to determine a framework of effective strategies that will enable designers to create efficient office environments right from the initial stages of design. Moreover, this would help to bridge the gap which is often apparent between the research and the practical realm of design and construction.
Keywords
Sustainable Indoor Environments, Offices, Indoor Environmental Quality, Indoor Air Quality, Acoustic Quality.
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