Thermal delight in architecture

Thesis. 1978. M.Arch.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCHBibliography: leaves 104-108.by Lisa Heschong.M.Arch

Understanding user satisfaction evaluation in low occupancy sustainable workplaces

This paper presents the findings of a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) applied to a building in the UK. The design of the building was generated through an externally funded research project over two years from 2005 to 2007. The construction of the building was completed in 2010. After a period of occupancy, a POE of the building was carried out in 2015. The POE offered an opportunity to investigate the effect of occupant behaviour on the performance of the building and their level of comfort and satisfaction. We adopted a field survey method to evaluate the comfort and satisfaction of users by asking them a series of questions to analyse how they felt in different parts of the building throughout the course of the year. In our analysis, the users were prompted to provide a subjective measure of the building regarding a range of internal conditions such as air temperature, humidity, air movement, air quality, daylight, artificial light, and noise. The analysis supports the notion that in naturally-ventilated buildings some users may find the building to be hot in summer while cold in winter. The high level of control the users have over the operation of the building contributes to their comfort and satisfaction. The users demonstrated a tendency to be satisfied despite environmental factors and to forgive some aspects of the building which are not performing as they should. The paper offers a perspective on statistical user satisfaction in a low occupancy building and attempts to explain the role of workplace wellbeing on occupant perception of comfort in this case

Ten Questions Concerning Well-Being in the Built Environment

Well-being in the built environment is a topic that features frequently in building standards and certification schemes, in scholarly articles and in the general press. However, despite this surge in attention, there are still many questions on how to effectively design, measure, and nurture well-being in the built environment. Bringing together experts from academia and the building industry, this paper aims to demonstrate that the promotion of well-being requires a departure from conventional agendas. The ten questions and answers have been arranged to offer a range of perspectives on the principles and strategies that can better sustain the consideration of well-being in the design and operation of the built environment. Placing a specific focus on some of the key physical factors (e.g., light, temperature, sound, and air quality) of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) that strongly influence occupant perception of built spaces, attention is also given to the value of multi-sensory variability, to how to monitor and communicate well-being outcomes in support of organizational and operational strategies, and to future research needs and their translation into building practice and standards. Seen as a whole, a new framework emerges, accentuating the integration of diverse new competencies required to support the design and operation of built environments that respond to the multifaceted physical, physiological, and psychological needs of their occupants

The Holistic Impact of Classroom Spaces on Learning in Specific Subjects

The Holistic Evidence and Design (HEAD) study of U.K. primary schools sought to isolate the impact of the physical design of classrooms on the learning progress of pupils aged from 5 to 11 years (U.S. kindergarten to fifth grade). One hundred fifty-three classrooms were assessed and links made to the learning of the 3,766 pupils in them. Through multilevel modeling, the role of physical design was isolated from the influences of the pupils’ characteristics. This article presents analyses for the three main subjects assessed, namely, reading, writing, and math. Variations in the importance of the physical design parameters are revealed for the learning of each subject. In addition to some common factors, such as lighting, a heavy salience for Individualization in relation to math becomes apparent and the importance emerges of Connection for reading and of Links to Nature for writing. Possible explanations are suggested. These results provide a stimulus for additional finesse in practice and for further investigation by researchers

Multi-Objective Optimisation Framework for Designing Office Windows::Quality of View, Daylight and Energy Efficiency

This paper presents a new, multi-objective method of analysing and optimising the energy processes associated with window system design in office buildings. The simultaneous consideration of multiple and conflicting design objectives can make the architectural design process more complicated. This study is based on the fundamental recognition that optimising parameters on the building energy loads via window system design can reduce the quality of the view to outside and the received daylight – both qualities highly valued by building occupants. This paper proposes an approach for quantifying Quality of View in office buildings in balance with energy performance and daylighting, thus enabling an optimisation framework for office window design. The study builds on previous research by developing a multi-objective method of assessment of a reference room which is parametrically modelled using actual climate data. A method of Pareto Frontier and a weighting sum is applied for multi-objective optimisation to determine best outcomes that balance design requirements. The Results reveal the maximum possible window to wall ratio for the reference room. The optimisation model indicates that the room geometry should be altered to achieve the lighting and view requirements set out in building performance standards. The research results emphasise the need for window system configuration to be considered in the early design stages. This exploratory approach to a methodology and framework considers both building parameters and the local climate condition. It has the potential to be adopted and further refined by other researchers and designers to support complex, multi-factorial design decision-making

Teachers' views of their primary school classrooms

This article presents the views of 222 head teachers and classroom-based teachers about their experiences and perceptions of 193 specific classroom environments from 29 primary schools in 3 different areas in England, UK. One-to-one interviews were carried out focusing on teachers’ perceptions about their classrooms throughout the year. It was found that teachers’ views of their overall comfort were fairly high, despite widespread problems with overheating, stuffiness, glare and noise. Surprisingly, schools built in 1950s had the least negative feelings, while those since the 1990s to date had the highest. The teachers appear to be aware of the ‘hard’ aspects of the physical environment, but less conscious of the impact of ‘softer’ aspects, especially those with impact on the level of stimulation created

The impact of classroom design on pupils' learning: Final results of a holistic, multi-level analysis

Assessments have been made of 153 classrooms in 27 schools in order to identify the impact of the physical classroom features on the academic progress of the 3766 pupils who occupied each of those specific spaces. This study confirms the utility of the naturalness, individuality and stimulation (or more memorably, SIN) conceptual model as a vehicle to organise and study the full range of sensory impacts experienced by an individual occupying a given space. In this particular case the naturalness design principle accounts for around 50% of the impact on learning, with the other two accounting for roughly a quarter each. Within this structure, seven key design parameters have been identified that together explain 16% of the variation in pupils' academic progress achieved. These are Light, Temperature, Air Quality, Ownership, Flexibility, Complexity and Colour. The muted impact of the whole-building level of analysis provides some support for the importance of “inside-out design”. The identification of the impact of the built environment factors on learning progress is a major new finding for schools' research, but also suggests that the scale of the impact of building design on human performance and wellbeing in general, can be isolated and that it is non-trivial. It is argued that it makes sense to capitalise on this promising progress and to further develop these concepts and techniques