Theoretical framework for user-focused evaluation in office design

As was stated in the introduction, a user-focused renovation approach can enhance user satisfaction in offices and the functional quality of the offices while meeting energy performance goals. The first step for this renovation approach is to identify users’ needs and the physical and psychological factors affecting user satisfaction, as input to office renovation projects. The main aim is to identify the factors that are affecting the physical and psychological satisfaction of users, based on what previous research has found in that field. Therefore, this chapter highlights the main parameters currently applied to the evaluation of user satisfaction, including the definitions based on the literature review. The research approach for the literature review is discussed in section 2.2. Searching was limited to the main key terms of office, work environment, and user satisfaction and comfort. Section 2.3 explores the relationship between office renovation and user satisfaction. The terms user satisfaction and the user’s expectations in workplaces are defined in section 2.4. In section 2.5, the important factors were searched through empirical-based international literature mainly. Based hereupon, section 2.6 discusses the challenge of evaluating user satisfaction. In section 2.7, the findings present ten main parameters to increase user satisfaction in office renovation. The parameters were categorised into three levels based on needs theories to organise the hierarchy of priorities

Renewable power for lean desktops in media applications

An integration of solar microgeneration to supply a low-power IT desktop, using the Power over Ethernet standards IEEE 802.3af/at as a low power distribution network avoiding transformer losses from DC generation to mains power AC and back to low-voltage DC and hence maximising efficiency. The resulting design points to applications in media technology where reducing grid power consumption is critical for improving sustainability, or where there are supply constraints, and indicates new directions in how we manage and consume power for IT devices

Flourishing the indoor environment quality of workplaces using the biophilic architectural design

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThe central argument in this thesis is that workplace users’ health, well-being and productivity are affected by indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and that their overall satisfaction is related to the IEQ factors within the workplace. In addition, it is proposed that enhancing the indoor environment using Biophilic Design can positively influence occupants’ health, well-being and productivity in co-working offices and university research rooms. To test this argument, a methodology based on the Flourish Model was developed to collect interview data, discrete IEQ measurements and post-occupancy evaluation (POE) responses. This thesis is made up of three empirical parts. The first part evaluates occupants’ health, well-being and productivity in the Second Home co-working offices, which contain 30 multidiscipline companies. Data were collected through on-site observation and interviewing 10 HR members; these data were then analysed to determine how the implication of Biophilic Design patterns can help solve several IEQ issues and establish how these patterns are related to overall satisfaction and productivity. The results of this empirical part show two main points: first, the addition of plants as part of the Biophilic Architecture positively affected occupants’ health and well-being positively, and some of these plants controlled the thermal comfort, which includes the temperature and humidity as well as the air quality of the office environment; second, other Biophilic features were added to control noise levels in the space, while some of them were for aesthetic value. However, using some green features for atheistic value is not enough to reach the best environment quality and meet occupant expectations in the office environment. Finally, the implication of the Biophilic patterns is connected to the cost used in a project, starting from adding plants to significant changes in the whole building construction. The second empirical part of this study was conducted in five research rooms at Brunel University London in 2 old and 3 recently developed buildings by surveying the researchers twice and conducting a measurement test using Arduino sensors in five zones for 14 days. The most obvious finding to emerge from this study is that the II qualities of the five key aspects of IEQ, namely thermal comfort, indoor air quality, lighting environment, acoustic environment and office space layout, have significantly positive correlations with occupants’ productivity. Moreover, the participants assured that Biophilic Design offers many ways to improve their offices. Several suggestions have been presented for Biophilic solutions depending on the building age and issues raised. Finally, although some of the measured IEQ conditions were relatively good, with no significant fluctuation across the research rooms, it was noted that there is a difference between objective IEQ data and subjective occupant evaluations. The recently developed buildings which designed with fully double-glazed façades showed the highest overall health, well-being and productivity levels, whereas the old buildings constructed with small windows or with no access to the daylight had the lowest; they had lower window-to-wall ratios. The results support that the measurements do not express the absolute satisfaction of the occupants. Nevertheless, the findings were useful to be considered in the third imperial part. As the main research output, this project created a co-design toolkit that offers an opportunity for designers and architects to indicate their perspectives on improving open-plan workplaces. At the same time, this toolkit helps enhance the office environment by means of Biophilic Design and by bringing the natural environment indoors. This project is the first of its kind to develop a co-design toolkit for workplace design that can be used by designers, architects, students and even stakeholders to improve the design of workplaces in a way that positively affects their occupants. The toolkit was created in a co-design study in which the participants interactively discussed and shared their ideas as to the functionality and design of the toolkit. Then, using tow testing rounds with 6 and 15 designers and architects respectively. The researcher collated and modelled the results in the direction that they wished by using four types of cards: the activity guide, which is designed to explain the aim and the process of the toolkit to the user; the flourish cards, which created to evaluate the existing workplace situation and determine the main IEQ issues; the Biophilic cards, which present different solutions with different user budgets; and finally, the plant cards, which deliver a number of floor and desk plants with some tips that help the user to find the right location for using them.Mutah Universit

Combined evaluation of workplace performance using occupants\u27 subjective assessment and objective measurement of environmental conditions : a case study

The case study presents findings from a program of pre- and post-evaluations of buildings sponsored by the NSW government. The program aims to demonstrate leadership in the delivery of government accommodation and to provide feedback into the building design and management process.The results from a combined evaluation of an ABGR 4.5 star government building using the KODO probe&copy; occupant surveys and measures of environmental conditions, carried out by the Mobile Architecture and Built Environment Laboratory (MABEL) at Deakin University are summarised. In particular the paper will present the benefits of innovative performance evaluation of property for commercial benefit using the KODO productivity topographic maps&copy;.These maps isolate where facility solutions are needed as opposed to tenant/occupant solutions in order to optimise building and business outcomes with minimal capital investment.<br /

Combating overheating: mixed-mode conditioning for workplace comfort

© 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Using post-occupancy evaluations of seven mixed-mode buildings–three in Australia and four in India–this paper demonstrates that effective mixed-mode conditioning (instead of year-round air-conditioning) can deliver comfortable workspaces. Occupant feedback reinforces strong associations between overheating, thermal comfort, overall comfort and perceived productivity. However, differing levels of thermal acceptability within and between the Australian and Indian contexts are evident. Occupants in the Indian buildings were found to tolerate a wider range of temperatures when compared with Western contexts where lower temperature limits entrench an energy demand through a greater reliance on air-conditioning. The outcomes from the study suggest that the perception of overheating and consequent risk to building performance can be intensified when occupants perceive limited adaptive opportunity or problems are not rectified quickly, whereas perceived control is less important where building systems are user responsive. Occupants in three of the study buildings also perceived higher-than-anticipated comfort which could be attributable to well-liked attributes, such as break-out spaces, daylight and fresh air included in these buildings. The findings challenge designers and clients to develop user-responsive climate interactive workplaces that capitalize on spatial and mixed-mode environmental control to tackle the question of overheating

Energy-Efficient Office Renovation

This research aims to develop user-focused design principles for energy-efficient office renovations. The goal of this is to improve the quality and comfort of workspaces without compromising on energy-saving goals. Due to increasing sustainability requirements, new ways of working and changing office user preferences, there is a growing need for office renovations that not only deal with the energy performance and the replacement of building facilities, but also the occupants’ health and well-being. The renovation of office buildings can substantially reduce energy demand and improve building performance. For this reason, most studies regarding office renovations have focused on achieving better energy performance and indoor environmental quality. Also, several studies have investigated employee satisfaction in the work environment. However, the users are only considered after the buildings have been built and taken into use (e.g., postoccupancy evaluation), but not in the early stage of the design phase. Although there are building regulations and norms regarding indoor comfort, no clear design principles or guidelines considering users have been developed for office renovations. Therefore, it is necessary to explore how office users can be included in the early design stage of office renovations to improve their comfort and satisfaction. This led to the following main research question to be answered in this thesis: How can design principles for energy efficient office renovation be developed, based on the evaluation of user satisfaction? To answer to this question, field studies were conducted in 5 office buildings in the Netherlands. The cases consist of four renovated offices and one non-renovated office, originally built in 1960s to 70s. Before conducting empirical studies, a literature was conducted that is implemented in the theoretical framework. Ten parameters for satisfaction, such as thermal comfort, air quality, light, noise, personal control, privacy, concentration, communication, social contact, and territoriality, were defined and were classified based on the findings from 124 items of studies focussing on physical and psychological satisfaction in the work environment. Each chapter and several sub-research questions address these parameters. Based on the findings, a classification of user satisfaction parameters is proposed, including a discussion about an hierarchy of ten parameters. This hierarchy is structured based on theoretical definitions of parameters and its physical, functional, and psychological influences. &nbsp;For the empirical studies, a multidisciplinary methodology was applied to prioritise the important aspects of office renovations. The various methods for data collection and analyses included examining energy use and the quality of indoor climate after renovation, and investigating the impact of design factors on user satisfaction with thermal, visual, and psychological comfort. The design factors in this research are influential design factors on user satisfaction. These are office layout, orientation, window-to-wall ratio, and desk location. The empirical studies are structured in four parts. Energy consumption As a preliminary study, architects and facility managers were interviewed to identify the building characteristics of renovated offices and energy consumption. Henceforth, the five case studies were conducted. A cross-case-analysis was used to compare the building characteristics of the five case studies. The energy consumption of renovated and non-renovated offices were compared by different energy matrix. In addition, the limitations that hinder the achievement of better energy performance, were described. Indoor climate and users’ thermal comfort Indoor temperature and humidity were measured by using data loggers to identify the condition of the indoor climate for users’ thermal comfort after renovation. A questionnaire, including thermal sensation, preference, and satisfaction, was distributed among the building users. The monitored climate data of the thermal conditions were evaluated based on the Dutch building norms and users’ responses. Personal control This part aims to identify the relationship between the degree of personal control over indoor environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, ventilation, light) and user satisfaction with thermal and visual comfort. This study investigated the impact of personal control on user satisfaction through user surveys and statistical analyses. The results present that higher controllability leads to more satisfaction in terms of thermal and visual comfort. It also reveals the psychological impact of personal control on user satisfaction by showing differences in perceived satisfaction according to ‘no control’ and ‘do not have’. These findings provide support to workplace management and the design of personal environmental control systems. User satisfaction with thermal, visual, and psychological comfort Together with the indoor climate conditions of workspaces, 579 office users from the five cases were studied. The responses of the users were collected and analysed through statistical analyses. This study phase demonstrates the results of the impact of influential office design factors on user satisfaction with thermal, visual, and psychological comfort. It also contributes to predicting which design variables may bring better user satisfaction. After the empirical studies, the conceptual study was conducted through energy simulation to evaluate the impact of the combination of design factors on the energy demand. Twenty-four office model variants were created based on the combination of design factors, which are consisted of 3 or 4 variables. The energy demand is predicted according to the office model variants. As a next step, the design principles were developed by incorporating the previous findings and various perspectives of energy-efficient office renovation. An overview of the predicted user satisfaction and energy demand is graphically provided in this research. Based hereupon, a flow chart is created for applying the principles to the renovation process. First, the most influential design factors on thermal, visual, and psychological satisfaction are suggested in the design principles. Next, the values of predicted user satisfaction and energy demand can be evaluated by following the flow chart, to find the optimal renovation plan. In this step renovation alternatives are suggested in terms of office variants to create a balance between user satisfaction and energy efficiency. Last, if design limitations occur, the degree of personal control should be included to increase user satisfaction. The comprehensive design principles can help architects, designers, and facility managers to make design decisions in an early stage of office renovations. To summarise, this research demonstrates the relationship between design factors, indoor climate and user satisfaction, without neglecting the fundamental goal of office renovation: reducing the energy demand, upgrading facilities, and improving building performance. It also contributes to developing design principles for office renovations with integrated user perspectives, that improve users’ satisfaction and comfort, as well as energy efficiency. Although users’ individual control over the indoor environment has a significant impact on satisfaction, it needs to be explored further. In addition, it is important to mention that other variables such as building elements and various façade configurations need to be included in further research. In conclusion, design principles considering both energy efficiency and user satisfaction will not only contribute to an increase in the value of a building, but also serve as a stepping stone for user-focused office designs or user-related aspects of the built environment

Energy-Efficient Office Renovation:

This research aims to develop user-focused design principles for energy-efficient office renovations. The goal of this is to improve the quality and comfort of workspaces without compromising on energy-saving goals. Due to increasing sustainability requirements, new ways of working and changing office user preferences, there is a growing need for office renovations that not only deal with the energy performance and the replacement of building facilities, but also the occupants’ health and well-being. The renovation of office buildings can substantially reduce energy demand and improve building performance. For this reason, most studies regarding office renovations have focused on achieving better energy performance and indoor environmental quality. Also, several studies have investigated employee satisfaction in the work environment. However, the users are only considered after the buildings have been built and taken into use (e.g., postoccupancy evaluation), but not in the early stage of the design phase. Although there are building regulations and norms regarding indoor comfort, no clear design principles or guidelines considering users have been developed for office renovations. Therefore, it is necessary to explore how office users can be included in the early design stage of office renovations to improve their comfort and satisfaction. This led to the following main research question to be answered in this thesis: How can design principles for energy efficient office renovation be developed, based on the evaluation of user satisfaction? To answer to this question, field studies were conducted in 5 office buildings in the Netherlands. The cases consist of four renovated offices and one non-renovated office, originally built in 1960s to 70s. Before conducting empirical studies, a literature was conducted that is implemented in the theoretical framework. Ten parameters for satisfaction, such as thermal comfort, air quality, light, noise, personal control, privacy, concentration, communication, social contact, and territoriality, were defined and were classified based on the findings from 124 items of studies focussing on physical and psychological satisfaction in the work environment. Each chapter and several sub-research questions address these parameters. Based on the findings, a classification of user satisfaction parameters is proposed, including a discussion about an hierarchy of ten parameters. This hierarchy is structured based on theoretical definitions of parameters and its physical, functional, and psychological influences. &nbsp;For the empirical studies, a multidisciplinary methodology was applied to prioritise the important aspects of office renovations. The various methods for data collection and analyses included examining energy use and the quality of indoor climate after renovation, and investigating the impact of design factors on user satisfaction with thermal, visual, and psychological comfort. The design factors in this research are influential design factors on user satisfaction. These are office layout, orientation, window-to-wall ratio, and desk location. The empirical studies are structured in four parts. Energy consumption As a preliminary study, architects and facility managers were interviewed to identify the building characteristics of renovated offices and energy consumption. Henceforth, the five case studies were conducted. A cross-case-analysis was used to compare the building characteristics of the five case studies. The energy consumption of renovated and non-renovated offices were compared by different energy matrix. In addition, the limitations that hinder the achievement of better energy performance, were described. Indoor climate and users’ thermal comfort Indoor temperature and humidity were measured by using data loggers to identify the condition of the indoor climate for users’ thermal comfort after renovation. A questionnaire, including thermal sensation, preference, and satisfaction, was distributed among the building users. The monitored climate data of the thermal conditions were evaluated based on the Dutch building norms and users’ responses. Personal control This part aims to identify the relationship between the degree of personal control over indoor environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, ventilation, light) and user satisfaction with thermal and visual comfort. This study investigated the impact of personal control on user satisfaction through user surveys and statistical analyses. The results present that higher controllability leads to more satisfaction in terms of thermal and visual comfort. It also reveals the psychological impact of personal control on user satisfaction by showing differences in perceived satisfaction according to ‘no control’ and ‘do not have’. These findings provide support to workplace management and the design of personal environmental control systems. User satisfaction with thermal, visual, and psychological comfort Together with the indoor climate conditions of workspaces, 579 office users from the five cases were studied. The responses of the users were collected and analysed through statistical analyses. This study phase demonstrates the results of the impact of influential office design factors on user satisfaction with thermal, visual, and psychological comfort. It also contributes to predicting which design variables may bring better user satisfaction. After the empirical studies, the conceptual study was conducted through energy simulation to evaluate the impact of the combination of design factors on the energy demand. Twenty-four office model variants were created based on the combination of design factors, which are consisted of 3 or 4 variables. The energy demand is predicted according to the office model variants. As a next step, the design principles were developed by incorporating the previous findings and various perspectives of energy-efficient office renovation. An overview of the predicted user satisfaction and energy demand is graphically provided in this research. Based hereupon, a flow chart is created for applying the principles to the renovation process. First, the most influential design factors on thermal, visual, and psychological satisfaction are suggested in the design principles. Next, the values of predicted user satisfaction and energy demand can be evaluated by following the flow chart, to find the optimal renovation plan. In this step renovation alternatives are suggested in terms of office variants to create a balance between user satisfaction and energy efficiency. Last, if design limitations occur, the degree of personal control should be included to increase user satisfaction. The comprehensive design principles can help architects, designers, and facility managers to make design decisions in an early stage of office renovations. To summarise, this research demonstrates the relationship between design factors, indoor climate and user satisfaction, without neglecting the fundamental goal of office renovation: reducing the energy demand, upgrading facilities, and improving building performance. It also contributes to developing design principles for office renovations with integrated user perspectives, that improve users’ satisfaction and comfort, as well as energy efficiency. Although users’ individual control over the indoor environment has a significant impact on satisfaction, it needs to be explored further. In addition, it is important to mention that other variables such as building elements and various façade configurations need to be included in further research. In conclusion, design principles considering both energy efficiency and user satisfaction will not only contribute to an increase in the value of a building, but also serve as a stepping stone for user-focused office designs or user-related aspects of the built environment

Is today's architecture about real space, virtual space or what?

Nowadays digital technologies and information and telecommunication technologies are widely used in every aspect of our lives. This article focuses on the digital technologies and their effect on the place-making activities. First an overview of the digital technologies for the creation, occupancy and management of a building is given. Secondly, the concepts of space and virtual space are discussed. Through these discussions, the concept of places and its virtual alternatives and recombination the use of space are described. Finally some concluding remarks are made on whether today’s place making activities about real space or it extends beyond that

Assessment Framework of Building Facade in Optimizing Indoor Thermal Comfort of Green Building Index (GBI) Certified Office Building

During the past decade, the construction industry has seen a new trend in the development of “green” or “sustainable” construction concept around the world with vast support from prominent organization, together with the introduction of sustainable building codes. The establishment of green building certification systems worldwide is seen as one of the most efforts in the emerging green building movement. In order to support the development of the “green” and “sustainable” concept in Malaysia, Green Building Index (GBI) was launched by the government on 21 May 2009 that created to promote sustainability in the built environment and raise awareness of environmental issues. However, the construction industry seems to have focused only on findings the "right mechanism" for an environmentally sustainable "final result" in order for the building to be certified as green with the lacking of continuous assessment on the building performance after the certifications. This study is purposely conducted to investigate the performance of various rated Green Building Index (GBI) Non-Residential New Construction office buildings and the influence on Indoor Thermal Comfort (ITC) of the selected buildings. The aim is to develop an assessment framework for optimum green building architectural façade to be used for office buildings in Malaysia as well as to analyse the occupants’ perception, satisfaction and performance in the selected Green Building Index (GBI) rated office indoor environment. This research is still in its infancy; therefore the paper is focused on research aims, research scope and methodology, and expected deliverables for the proposed research

Achieving sustainable construction in the developing countries Of Southeast Asia

Sustainable construction is a way for the building industry to move towards achieving sustainable development, taking into account environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues. Differing approaches and differing economic markets lead to different priorities. This paper presents the construction scenario of Southeast Asia and the developments in sustainable construction taking place in the region. Barriers to the implementation of sustainable construction are discussed. A list of recommendations was proposed to drive sustainable construction in the region. In conclusion, the status of sustainable construction in Southeast Asia is still in its infancy. The lack of awareness, training and education and ineffective procurement systems are among the major barriers for sustainable construction in the region. In some countries public policies and regulatory frameworks do not encourage the development of the construction sector. Besides the needs for capacities, technologies and tools, total and ardent commitment by all players in the construction sectors including the governments and the public at large are required in order to achieve sustainable construction in South-East Asia