Association between Building Characteristics and Indoor Environmental Quality through Post-Occupancy Evaluation

Rafaela Bortolini,Núria Forcada

doi:10.3390/en14061659

Abstract

Post-occupancy evaluations are common tools used to periodically assess Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in tertiary buildings. Although the large amount of data collected from surveys contain valuable information, the influence of building characteristics on IEQ considering the different uses of the rooms and different types of occupants is rarely considered in the evaluation. This study presents an analysis of the association between building characteristics and IEQ in different building rooms (classrooms and offices) and different occupants (students and lecturers) using a post occupancy evaluation survey to 1013 occupants in 26 higher educational buildings in Spain under a Mediterranean climate. This research demonstrated that building characteristics influence IEQ perceptions of the different rooms in tertiary education buildings. The possibility of controlling the lighting, shadows or heating, ventilation air or conditioning (HVAC) systems are the most influential factors when analyzing IEQ. The findings of this research are of interest to facility managers aiming at implementing energy efficiency measures based on user-centric satisfaction or developing maintenance plans focused on IEQ enhancement.

Highlights

The building parameters that contribute to Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), as identified by previous studies, can be divided into three categories: architectural design parameters, such as window–wall ratio (WWR); spatial design parameters, such as layout; and facilities design parameters, such as the type of heating, ventilation air or conditioning (HVAC) system
The occupants’ feedback was obtained from a post occupancy evaluation (POE) survey from 26 higher educational buildings of two university campuses located in Spain
The respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting and acoustics, both in the offices and the classrooms of the building they occupy

Summary

Introduction

The building parameters that contribute to IEQ, as identified by previous studies, can be divided into three categories: architectural design parameters, such as window–wall ratio (WWR); spatial design parameters, such as layout; and facilities design parameters, such as the type of heating, ventilation air or conditioning (HVAC) system. Previous studies identified that the façade [7,12] and shadow design [15] can influence an occupant’s satisfaction. The same study revealed that the thermal comfort was low for all orientations in winter and summer, apart from the south-facing limit zone. Kwon et al [7] stressed that orientation might not be the main cause for user’s discomfort but that other factors such as glass components of the building’s façade, artificial lighting, and window shade may have impact on users’ visual comfort. Considering thermal and visual satisfaction, Kwon et al [7] found that window–wall ratio (WWR), which is computed by dividing the glazing areas by the entire exterior wall façade area [7], did not influence thermal comfort satisfaction

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