Assessment of occupant adaptive behavior and visual comfort in educational facilities: A cross-sectional field survey

Abstract

Occupant behavior may significantly affect energy demand in buildings. This issue necessitates determining different factors that influence occupant behavior and triggers the use of artificial lighting. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess students' behavior in two adjacent classrooms with different angles of view for uncovering their behavioral actions in switching artificial lights on or off based on their behavioral preferences in classrooms. Furthermore, the students' responses are mapped onto the illuminance levels of the classrooms for future analysis based on the Daylight Factor (DF). Based on sampling for comparing two independent means, 73 participants were selected for participation in this study. The results show that distance from windows, quality of view, illuminance level, board and desk conditions, and condition of curtains can affect students' behavioral actions. Besides, it shows illuminance levels of classes along with their window-to-floor ratio (WFR) affect respondents' visual comfort significantly. In the end, a trigger-action model is provided based on the findings. The outcome of this study can help decision-makers and designers to take appropriate steps toward reducing the energy consumption of educational buildings by using various design approaches based on occupants' behavioral actions and preferences.