Multi-domain indoor environmental quality in buildings: A review of their interaction and combined effects on occupant satisfaction

Abstract

Occupant satisfaction is influenced by the interaction and combined effects of multi-domain indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in buildings. While there are literature reviews on multi-domain IEQ, two limitations exist: 1) the reviewed IEQ interactions are mainly limited to two IEQ domains and climate chamber studies; and 2) those reviews have not quantitatively discussed the impact of IEQ interactions on overall satisfaction and only cover limited building types. To address this gap, this study adopts a broad, top-down approach with a three-stage screening to select relevant publications about the four most concerned IEQ domains—thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, visual comfort, and indoor air quality. A total of 74 publications have been selected and reviewed. Our study shows that: 1) existing findings on IEQ interaction and combined effects are inconsistent and somewhat contradictory; 2) interactions among three IEQ domains exist but are much less examined compared to two IEQ interactions. Studies on four IEQ are not found; 3) the current occupant satisfaction models are mainly generalized models. Personal models are an emerging area of research and practice; and 4) the one-vote veto effect exists, i.e., some IEQ domains show a predominating influence on overall satisfaction. We advocate future research 1) to collaborate on a global IEQ database to enable model comparison and the development of standards and guidelines spanning multiple IEQ domains, 2) to investigate personal overall satisfaction models encompassing IEQ interactions; and 3) to further examine non-linear modeling approaches for interpreting the relationships between IEQ and overall satisfaction.