A Post-Occupancy Evaluation of the Impact of Indoor Environmental Quality on Health and Well-Being in Office Buildings

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

scholarly journals Examining the spatial relationship between environmental health factors and house prices

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. McCord ◽  
Sean MacIntyre ◽  
Paul Bidanset ◽  
Daniel Lo ◽  
Peadar Davis
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
House Prices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Purpose Air quality, noise and proximity to urban infrastructure can arguably have an important impact on the quality of life. Environmental quality (the price of good health) has become a central tenet for consumer choice in urban locales when deciding on a residential neighbourhood. Unlike the market for most tangible goods, the market for environmental quality does not yield an observable per unit price effect. As no explicit price exists for a unit of environmental quality, this paper aims to use the housing market to derive its implicit price and test whether these constituent elements of health and well-being are indeed capitalised into property prices and thus implicitly priced in the market place. Design/methodology/approach A considerable number of studies have used hedonic pricing models by incorporating spatial effects to assess the impact of air quality, noise and proximity to noise pollutants on property market pricing. This study presents a spatial analysis of air quality and noise pollution and their association with house prices, using 2,501 sale transactions for the period 2013. To assess the impact of the pollutants, three different spatial modelling approaches are used, namely, ordinary least squares using spatial dummies, a geographically weighted regression (GWR) and a spatial lag model (SLM). Findings The findings suggest that air quality pollutants have an adverse impact on house prices, which fluctuate across the urban area. The analysis suggests that the noise level does matter, although this varies significantly over the urban setting and varies by source. Originality/value Air quality and environmental noise pollution are important concerns for health and well-being. Noise impact seems to depend not only on the noise intensity to which dwellings are exposed but also on the nature of the noise source. This may suggest the presence of other externalities that arouse social aversion. This research presents an original study utilising advanced spatial modelling approaches. The research has value in further understanding the market impact of environmental factors and in providing findings to support local air zone management strategies, noise abatement and management strategies and is of value to the wider urban planning and public health disciplines.

The impact of workspace location and indoor environmental quality on employees' satisfaction within office buildings: A case study in Cairo

2020 ◽  
pp. 1420326X2094456
Author(s):  
Ahmed Khaled Aboulfotouh ◽  
Osama Tolba ◽  
Sherif Ezzeldin
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Leed Certification ◽  
Perceived Satisfaction ◽  
Employees Satisfaction ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
The Impact

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) could influences employees' satisfaction and performance in office buildings. Previous research have suggested that factors such as gender, age, proximity from a window could influence employees' perceived satisfaction with IEQ. This study as a part of an ongoing research attempts to investigate the impact of workspace location on employees' satisfaction with IEQ parameters and overall satisfaction with personal workspace within office buildings in Cairo. Employees' subjective evaluation of satisfaction with IEQ parameters were collected using a questionnaire as a post occupancy evaluation survey. Responses were collected and quantitatively analysed using software package used for statistical analysis (SPSS). Diversity in levels of satisfaction among employees within the same building was found highly sensitive to their workspace location. Building orientation and external views could influence employees' satisfaction with IEQ parameters and overall satisfaction with personal workspace. Employees with highest perceived satisfaction with IEQ parameters and overall satisfaction with personal workspace seem to prefer their workspaces to be located on the ground floor, away from a window, either in the middle of the building or on the southern façade and not overlooking the courtyard. The study recommends that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification criteria should reconsider employees' satisfaction with IEQ parameters in developing IEQ credits and LEED certification process.

scholarly journals A post-occupancy evaluation of the influence of wood on environmental comfort

BioResources ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 8704-8724
Author(s):  
Mélanie Watchman ◽  
André Potvin ◽  
Claude M. H. Demers
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Evaluation Framework ◽  
Subjective Perception ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
Natural Building ◽  
Physical Comfort ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Wood Surfaces

Emerging research on the impact of interior finishes, more specifically wood, is beginning to shed light on informed design opportunities. As a natural building material with unique features, wood creates warm and pleasant atmospheres and has the potential of enhancing the well-being of occupants. This research attempted to better understand how occupants perceive wood in built environments and whether its indoor use influenced the satisfaction of occupants. The comfort of occupants may have been influenced by factors that were unrelated to the indoor environmental quality, which caused difficulties in comparing interior finishes in existing environments and limited research in this field. An exploratory comparative study, within a post-occupancy evaluation framework, investigated the subjective perception of occupants in relation to physical comfort factors. Thirty-six occupants completed a questionnaire to examine comfort satisfaction in a multifunctional room with extensive wooden interior finishes in comparison with a similar space without wood surfaces. The results indicated that occupants were more satisfied in the extensive wood surfaced room in terms of lighting, noise, and temperature, despite the similar environmental conditions in both spaces. Adjectives often used to describe the wood room included bright, pleasant, modern, and warm. Architects should consider the subjective qualities of wood when designing comfortable buildings.

scholarly journals mHealth: Indoor Environmental Quality Measuring System for Enhanced Health and Well-Being Based on Internet of Things

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonçalo Marques ◽  
Rui Pitarma
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Computing ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Clinical Diagnostics ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Health And Well Being

Mobile health research field aims to provide access to healthcare anytime and anywhere through mobile computing technologies while using a cost-effective approach. Mobile health is closely related to ambient assisted living as both research fields address independence in elderly adults. Aging has become a relevant challenge, as it is anticipated that 20% of world population will be aged 60 years and older in 2050. Most people spend more than 90% of their time indoors, therefore the indoor environmental quality has a relevant impact on occupant’s health and well-being. We intended to provide real-time indoor quality monitoring for enhanced living environments and occupational health. This paper presents the AirPlus real-time indoor environmental quality monitoring system, which incorporates several advantages when compared to other systems, such as scalability, flexibility, modularity, easy installation, and configuration, as well as mobile computing software for data consulting and notifications. The results that were obtained are promising and present a significant contribution to the monitoring solutions available in the literature. AirPlus provides a rich dataset to plan interventions for enhanced indoor quality, but also to support clinical diagnostics and correlate occupant’s health problems with their living environment conditions.

Associations Among Home Indoor Environmental Quality Factors and Worker Health while Working from Home during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Mohamad Awada ◽  
Burcin Becerik-Gerber ◽  
Gale Lucas ◽  
Shawn Roll
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Office Workers ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Indoor Temperature ◽  
Musculoskeletal Discomfort ◽  
Work Activities ◽  
Natural Lighting ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 virus forced office workers to conduct their daily work activities from home over an extended period. Given this unique situation, an opportunity emerged to study the satisfaction of office workers with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors of their houses where work activities took place and associate these factors with mental and physical health. We designed and administered a questionnaire that was open for 45 days during the COVID-19 pandemic and received valid data from 988 respondents. The results show that low satisfaction with natural lighting, glare and humidity predicted eye related symptoms, while low satisfaction with noise was a strong predictor of fatigue or tiredness, headaches or migraines, anxiety, and depression or sadness. Nose and throat related symptoms and skin related symptoms were only uniquely predicted by low satisfaction with humidity. Low satisfaction with glare uniquely predicted an increase in musculoskeletal discomfort. Symptoms related to mental stress, rumination or worry were predicted by low satisfaction with air quality and noise. Finally, low satisfaction with noise and indoor temperature predicted the prevalence of symptoms related to trouble concentrating, maintaining attention or focus. Workers with higher income were more satisfied with humidity, air quality and indoor temperature and had better overall mental health. Older individuals had increased satisfaction with natural lighting, humidity, air quality, noise, and indoor temperature. Findings from this study can inform future design practices that focus on hybrid home-work environments by highlighting the impact of IEQ factors on occupant well-being.

Indoor environment quality assessment in classrooms: An integrated approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Tahsildoost ◽  
Zahra S Zomorodian
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Potential Index ◽  
The Impact

Indoor Environmental Quality is an important issue in educational buildings since it is directly related to students’ well-being and learning activities. Indoor Environmental Quality parameters have been assessed in three representative campus building typologies (old, new, and retrofitted), in Tehran, Iran, by measurements and questionnaire (n = 842) from July 2016 to April 2017. Results have been compared to the students’ overall satisfaction level and recommended standards. According to results, minimum attention to local standards with regard to Indoor Air Quality, acoustic, and lighting, especially in the old and retrofitted buildings, seems the main reason of low environmental quality in the studied cases. Fitting a multiple regression model to the questionnaire data, a mathematical model is developed to predict the overall comfort (Indoor Environmental Quality index). Studied buildings have been ranked based on the Indoor Environmental Quality index from high quality: I (building C) to out of the comfort range: IV (building A). Moreover, results reveal that the acceptable range of each Indoor Environmental Quality parameters, especially with regard to thermal and acoustic comfort, is broader in real condition in comparison with the standards. Finally, the buildings’ annual energy consumption is used to propose a Retrofit Potential Index in order to assess the impact of comfort parameters on energy consumption by integrated analyses.

scholarly journals The impact of IEQ on occupants’ satisfaction in Malaysian buildings

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 715-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syahrul Nizam Kamaruzzaman ◽  
Charles O. Egbu ◽  
Norhayati Mahyuddin ◽  
Emma Marinie Ahmad Zawawi ◽  
Shirley Jin Lin Chua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Aesthetic Perception ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Occupant Satisfaction

This paper focuses on the importance of occupant satisfaction with indoor environmental quality in buildings as well as the effect of indoor environmental quality towards occupants’ satisfaction. This research applied post-occupancy evaluation as a method to indicate the building occupants’ needs, their satisfaction and comfort level. The research is based on a case study approach whereby a questionnaire survey was conducted among 25 organizations involved in managing office buildings. A total of 115 questionnaires were returned for evaluation of occupants’ overall satisfaction from aspects of indoor environmental quality in these buildings and to determine the occupants’ satisfaction level within these buildings. The findings revealed that indoor environment factors that could contribute to occupants’ satisfaction consists of lighting, air quality and aesthetic perception. These classifications were made based on the factor analysis done with 22 attributes of the indoor environment. The majority of occupants are satisfied with their health conditions and do not face any serious health problems. However, occupants highlighted that some environmental conditions, health effects, air movement, ventilation and air freshness are important criteria for their satisfaction and comfort. This study provides insights into how occupants perceive their indoor environment and comfort, and identify problems that could arise in buildings.

Collaborative activities and library indoor environmental quality affecting performance, health, and well-being of different library user groups in higher education

Facilities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 88-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Other ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Collaborative Activities ◽  
Library User ◽  
Health And Well Being

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify different indoor environmental quality (IEQ) criteria affecting performance, health, and well-being of library user groups in higher education. The study investigated the differences in significant IEQ criteria affecting the performance, health, and well-being among the library user groups conducting certain types of collaborative activities. The aim was to was to find the significant IEQ criteria particular to each group conducting certain types of collaborative activities. Design/methodology/approach – Four types of collaborative activities were categorized based on the organizational knowledge creation theory in the knowledge management field. A total of ten IEQ criteria affecting performance, health, and well-being were identified based on a literature review of other studies and existing instruments. A survey was conducted via online with library users in a higher education library on the east coast of the USA. Responses from a total of 421 students were analyzed by descriptive statistics and analysis of variance statistics. Findings – The results indicated that the group conducting only individual focused work and socializing in a group showed statistically lower significance in acoustics, privacy, and ergonomics furniture than one or more of the other groups. The group conducting all four collaborative activities exhibited statistically higher significance in ergonomic furniture and aesthetics than one or more of the other groups. Originality/value – The study provides a comprehensive framework to be used in occupant survey to measure occupant performance, health, and well-being. It also offers practical implications for enhancing particular IEQ criteria for each library user group conducting certain types of collaborative activities in the academic library of higher education.

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