Daylight in Office Buıldings in Malaysıa: A Pilot Study on Occupants’ Satisfaction and Luminous Environment

Abstract

AbstractLighting is desired for work and there is an impact on occupant satisfaction through their assessment with preferred luminous conditions in a daylit office. This study investigates whether the illuminance levels in office buildings meet the requirements for visual comfort based on existing guidelines through field measurements and surveys in government office buildings. This paper presents the literature that shows an overview of the investigation of daylight distribution, availability and illuminance levels in daylit offices. People’s awareness in luminous environments is captured by obtaining occupant’s feedback. A survey was conducted to find occupants’ responses to daylight availability by using four different open-plan layouts in office buildings. The acceptable illuminance levels are identified from the field study based on data measurement and HDR photo images, field surveys using questionnaires on occupants from different layouts in office buildings. This comparative study of daylight distribution in open-plan offices will provide the findings on preferred office layout and the occupant’s satisfaction through daylighting. It is observed that not all the office buildings have achieved Malaysian Standard 1525:2007 minimum WPI recommendation of 300–500 lux when electric lights are on. More than 60% of occupants, which are of different ages, genders and office activities showed the effect on visual discomfort in the office and the relationship between luminous conditions with activities and attitudes of people towards windows. The resulting key will provide the effects of daylighting on visual comfort, visual health and occupant satisfaction.