The effects of motion sickness and sopite syndrome on office workers in an 18-month field study of tall buildings

Abstract

This study aims to quantify the effects of exposure to wind-induced building motion on office workers. 55 participants, across 8 buildings in Wellington, reported their comfort, health, cognitive performance, work performance and response behaviours, via an on-line survey over a period of 18 months. Each building was instrumented with a small accelerometer that measured building accelerations across the entire study period. The analysis used acceleration dose and mean exposure to building accelerations to predict occupant responses. Participants reported stronger perceptible motion with increases in acceleration dose; moderated by the natural frequency of the building. Increases in building accelerations were associated with higher levels of motion sickness and sopite syndrome (sleepiness), which caused large reductions in task-based effort, consequently leading to reductions in work performance; however, cognitive performance was only mildly affected. These findings provide additional evidence showing the adverse effects of exposure to building motion. The limitations of field research and implications for experimental motion simulator studies and future serviceability criteria are discussed.