Immersive virtual environments, understanding the impact of design features and occupant choice upon lighting for building performance

Abstract

Studies have shown that occupant behavior has a significant impact on a building's overall performance and energy consumption. The objective of this study is to understand occupants' lighting-use behavior by investigating the influence of manual and semi-automatic control systems on lighting-use in a single-occupancy office space. 114 participants were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions that varied in available lighting control options in an immersive virtual environment. They were asked to adjust the room's lighting by choosing one of the following lighting control options: (1) manual control system for artificial lights and interior shades; (2) same options as condition 1 and a semi-automatic control system for the shades; (3) same options as condition 1 and a semi-automatic control system for the artificial lights; and (4) same options as condition 1 and semi-automatic control systems for both the artificial lights and shades. The results of the experiment demonstrate that the participants were significantly more likely to use natural light if there was only a semi-automatic control system to control the shades. However, they were not more likely to use natural light if they were given semi-automatic control options for both the artificial lights and shades.