Meir, I A; Schwartz, M; Davara, Y and Garb, Y (2019) A window of one's own: A public office post-occupancy evaluation. Building Research & Information, 47(4), pp. 437-452. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
The prevalence of mechanical climatization in office buildings, alongside the dictate to conserve energy, has misguidedly promoted the construction of buildings with non-operable windows. Research shows that such buildings are detrimental to their occupants' wellbeing and productivity, sometimes causing them to feel overcooled or overheated. This post-occupancy evaluation illustrates such problems through the case study of a courthouse building in a hot arid environment. A strong association is shown between occupant satisfaction, building ventilation and sense of wellbeing at work. A positive correlation was found between satisfaction with personal control, and overall satisfaction survey results show that workers express a willingness to compromise future salary rises in order to receive operable windows. Key lessons for architects are discussed.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | architectural design; indoor environment quality; personal control; post-occupancy evaluation; sick building syndrome; ventilation; windows; workplace satisfaction |
| Index terms: | case study, well-being, architect, satisfaction, indoor environment, ventilation, window, post-occupancy evaluation, personal control, office building, architectural design, occupant satisfaction, productivity, sick building syndrome, survey |
| Subjects: | evaluation methods, profession, construction type, behavioral psychology, project delivery, mental health and wellbeing, data collection methods, architectural elements, environmental health, environmental science, air quality, design practice, management, user-centered design |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Engineering Principles, Design Practice, Construction Technology, Project Management, Health and Safety, Roles and Professions, Quality Management, Business Strategy, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here