Title: Reading and Audio-Visual Assignments
Course: WGF 105 DEVELOPMENT > Section: Content

Sub-Title | Provide Comfortable Environments
Content
It is often hard to quantify the impacts of specific components of the indoor environment on productivity, because individual and group effectiveness is tied to many different factors-including compensation levels, management practices, and environmental comfort. It is difficult, if not impossible, to isolate individual physical factors, such as the presence or absence of team rooms, daylighting, natural meeting places, or control over the environment. This problem is exacerbated in the case of employees whose "output" is knowledge or insight that cannot be easily quantified.

Buildings can be more effective, exciting places to work, learn, and live by encouraging adaptability, improving comfort, supporting sense of community, and by providing connections to the natural environment, natural light, and view.

There are five fundamental principles of productive building designs (and operation and maintenance):

- Promote Health and Well-Being
Indoor environments strongly affect human health. An effective environment should be designed to support and enhance the health and well-being of its occupants. Sustainable design principles help achieve this objective.
- Provide Comfortable Environments
An environment designed and operated to provide the highest achievable levels of visual, acoustic, and thermal comforts for its occupants is the underpinning of worker effectiveness.
- Design for the Changing Workplace
Providing spaces with flexibility, social support, and technology to promote new ways of working, learning and engaging in a number of activities is a cornerstone of change and innovation.
- Integrate Technological Tools
Effectively integrating technological tools and distribution networks required in today's environments to enable occupants to perform activities or their duties starts first and foremost with properly designed pathways and spaces.
- Assure Reliable Systems and Spaces
Reliability is one of the greatest concerns for building occupants—it directly affects their safety, health, and comfort. Occupants must be able to rely on building systems, equipment, and tools that function consistently and are properly maintained.
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Content
Research has demonstrated that some of the largest impacts on humans stemming from within the office building relate to chronic exposure to environmental contaminants or adverse environmental conditions. Implementing a successful IEQ strategy will directly affect occupant comfort, productivity, and health.

Comfort and Productivity

Studies have demonstrated likely productivity gains attributed to increased occupant comfort of 0.5 – 5% from direct improvements in the quality of the office indoor environment.^1 These productivity gains in tasks such as typewriting, learning performance, reading speed, and word memory, correlate to $20-160 billion savings annually.^1 See the Financial Impact section.

Ventilation and IAQ

Ventilation, filtration, and the associated indoor air quality are important for maintaining occupant health and satisfaction. Providing ventilation rates at or above minimum rates prescribed in current U.S. building codes and in ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010 - Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality has demonstrated promising impacts on increased worker productivity and reduced absenteeism. For example, in a large office study, a 35% decrease in short term absence was associated with a doubling of ventilation rate from 25 to 50 cfm/person.^1 Increasing ventilation rates replaces contaminated indoor air with fresh air from the outdoors. This air needs to be brought to temperature and distributed, however, which may require additional energy. Discuss optimal ventilation rates at the Integrative Process table to identify strategies that reach desired goals across all aspects of the project.

Temperature

Temperature studies have found that performance of office work tasks is maximized when air temperature is approximately between 70 °F to 73 °F, with a peak at 71°F. As indoor air temperatures fluctuate from this range, estimates put performance decreases at 0.37% and 0.43% per each degree decrease or increase, respectfully.^1 To optimize worker performance, treat indoor air temperature to remain within these ranges. Further providing thermal controls to allow workers customization of their working environment may lead to even greater performance results.

Relationship between office work performance and indoor temperature based on a statistical analysis of reported data e

Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Labs

Daylight / Views

Providing daylight access and views for occupants is important in reaching performance goals as part of the IEQ strategy. According to a study done by the Light Right Consortium, lighting designs that provided direct and indirect lighting, wallwashing, and occupant dimming controls were rated as comfortable by 91% of the occupants. In the same study, significantly fewer occupants (69-71%) reported their working space as comfortable when only 2x4 downlight troffers were provided. Daylight provides an engaging and visually stimulating work environment that can lead to significant gains in productivity.

Additional studies have demonstrated that workers with better outdoor views at their workstations, compared to baseline occupants with no outdoor views, performed 16% better in memory tests.^1

Health

It is no surprise that our physical and mental well-being is directly impacted by our environment: the air we breathe, the temperatures we feel, and the things we hear and see. A successful IEQ strategy is essential in creating a healthy office space that promotes occupant productivity.

Allergies, Asthma and Mold

Poor indoor air quality resulting from dusts, molds, pests, and airborne contaminants like VOCs can lead to dizziness, skin irritations, asthma, shortness of breath, and other respiratory illnesses. These conditions can become amplified after prolonged exposure to create serious health effects including flu-like symptoms, liver toxicity, or cancer. Estimates suggest that integrating IEQ best practices into office facilities may result in up to a 25% decrease in allergy symptoms among the 53 million allergy sufferers and 25 million asthmatics.^1

Molds, which spawn from moisture and excessive humidity in the building, release spores that when inhaled can cause inflammation in respiratory tissue or inhibit the immune system. Studies have demonstrated an 87% increase in respiratory symptoms where mold levels in chair dust were elevated.^2 More toxic molds can produce chemicals called mycotoxins that may lead to more serious conditions such as tremors, loss of coordination, and cell death.

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

Occupant buy-in and cooperation is essential to maintaining indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the health, financial, and human impacts associated with it. Goals can only be identified and achieved if executed hand-in-hand with the occupants.

Occupant Survey

IEQ occupant surveys are a cost effective and valuable resource for identifying areas of discomfort or dissatisfaction to address during renovation projects and to help assist the operations and maintenance team in identifying opportunities for improvement. Occupant surveys should be unbiased and encompass all components of indoor environmental quality, including air quality, thermal and lighting comfort, and acoustical privacy. The occupants’ perspective on comfort can help identify lingering issues such as excessive noise or space cleanliness. Responses to these surveys should be the focus of any renovation project, regardless if its primary goal is IEQ related, and could save wasted energy from over-lit or over-conditioned spaces. Surveys and feedback cycles should occur periodically over the life cycle of the facility to ensure the desired quality is upheld. Explore Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment Occupant Survey.

Controllability

Occupant comfort can be optimized by providing high levels of individual or group controllability with regard to ambient air, lighting, and sound. Thermal conditions, including air temperature, humidity, and speed, should be designed to allow for personalized adjustments through integration of individual thermostat controls, localized diffusers, or operable windows. Similarly, implementing task lighting strategies at workstations creates flexibility for occupants to alter their illuminated environment. Acoustic controllability can be difficult as the distractions, such as coworker conversations, are often out of the hands of the occupant. However, providing mobility (for example laptop computers or designated "quiet areas" like in a library) and separate acoustic zones allow occupants to seek out ambient conditions beneficial to their current task.

Human Behavior
Links/Uploads
Whole Building Design Guide – National Institute of Building Sciences:

Provide Comfortable Environment http://www.wbdg.org/design/provide_comfort.php

Ensure Employee Health http://www.wbdg.org/design/ensure_health.php

Employee Productivity http://www.wbdg.org/design/productive.php

Sustainable Facilities Tool – U.S. General Services Administration                                  http://sftool.gov/explore/green-building/section/49/ieq/human-impact
Attributions
Image courtesy of Sustainable Facility Tool – U.S. General Services Administration

Content of Whole Building Design Guide – National Institute of Building Sciences

and

Sustainable Facility Tool – U.S. General Services Administration