User experience of automated blinds in offices

There are clear economical drivers for ambient intelligent office environments. For example, the energy and cost savings that can be made by automatically switching off the light when people are not in a room or by dimming the electric light if sufficient daylight is available. The intelligent behavior should not only result in energy and cost savings, but also make sure that occupants are satisfied with and feel in control of their working environment. However, automation might reduce this feeling of control. If decisions are based solely on economic criteria such as energy saving, the resulting conditions might not be beneficial for the comfort of occupants. A balance between energy efficiency and comfort needs to be found. As a large part of the population spends a significant part of the day in an office environment, it is not surprising to see an increasing awareness of user comfort in office buildings. Besides the positive effects of a comfortable work environment on the health and wellbeing of office workers, studies have shown correlations between the level of comfort and job satisfaction, and even productivity (Boyce, 2003). Hence, there are also economic reasons for employers and building owners to focus on comfortable work environments. Although comfort is a subjective concept, much research has been done on objective determinants and measures of comfort. Many aspects have been identified that influence the perception of comfort in offices, including environmental aspects (e.g. building characteristics, climate), social aspects (e.g. relationships with colleagues), and personal aspects (e.g. gender, age) (Bluyssen et al., 2011). It is unclear how all of these different aspects relate to each other and contribute to an overall perception of comfort, but studies have shown the importance of individual aspects such as daylight and electric lighting on perception of comfort. The perception of control is an important psychological process that influences perceived lighting quality and satisfaction with the working environment (Veitch, 2001). In this paper, we report our work on the user experience of automated daylight control systems in relation to occupants’ perceived comfort with the indoor climate

User experience of automated blinds in offices

There are clear economical drivers for ambient intelligent office environments. For example, the energy and cost savings that can be made by automatically switching off the light when people are not in a room or by dimming the electric light if sufficient daylight is available. The intelligent behavior should not only result in energy and cost savings, but also make sure that occupants are satisfied with and feel in control of their working environment. However, automation might reduce this feeling of control. If decisions are based solely on economic criteria such as energy saving, the resulting conditions might not be beneficial for the comfort of occupants. A balance between energy efficiency and comfort needs to be found. As a large part of the population spends a significant part of the day in an office environment, it is not surprising to see an increasing awareness of user comfort in office buildings. Besides the positive effects of a comfortable work environment on the health and wellbeing of office workers, studies have shown correlations between the level of comfort and job satisfaction, and even productivity (Boyce, 2003). Hence, there are also economic reasons for employers and building owners to focus on comfortable work environments. Although comfort is a subjective concept, much research has been done on objective determinants and measures of comfort. Many aspects have been identified that influence the perception of comfort in offices, including environmental aspects (e.g. building characteristics, climate), social aspects (e.g. relationships with colleagues), and personal aspects (e.g. gender, age) (Bluyssen et al., 2011). It is unclear how all of these different aspects relate to each other and contribute to an overall perception of comfort, but studies have shown the importance of individual aspects such as daylight and electric lighting on perception of comfort. The perception of control is an important psychological process that influences perceived lighting quality and satisfaction with the working environment (Veitch, 2001). In this paper, we report our work on the user experience of automated daylight control systems in relation to occupants’ perceived comfort with the indoor climate

Effect van binnenklimaatbeïnvloeding : in een laboratoriumsetting

Onderzoeken in kantoorgebouwen hebben aangetoond dat het hebben van persoonlijke controle over het binnenklimaat een positieve invloed heeft op comfort en productiviteit. Is dit effect toe te schrijven aan het verschil in behoefte van werknemers, of is alleen het gevoel van het hebben van controle al voldoende om een positieve invloed te hebben? Dit laboratoriumonderzoek richtte zich op die vraag. Het onderzoek maakt deel uit van het promotieonderzoek ‘Persoonlijke Beïnvloeding van het Binnenklimaat in kantoorgebouwen’ van Atze Boerstra en uitgevoerd in samenwerking met de Technical University of Denmark

Beter slapen: impact luchtkwaliteit en ventilatie op de slaapkwaliteit

Onderzoek in woningen laat zien dat de hoeveelheid verse luchttoevoer in slaapkamers vaak onvoldoende is. Door de relatief lange blootstellingsduur is een goede luchtkwaliteit in de slaapruimte (ook in bijvoorbeeld hotels en de gezondheidszorg) extra belangrijk. In het algemeen kan onvoldoende ventilatie leiden tot gezondheidsklachten. Daarnaast zijn er aanwijzingen dat luchtkwaliteit en de ventilatiehoeveelheid van invloed zijn op slaapkwaliteit. Hoe zit dit nu precies? En is het inderdaad zo dat de nachtrust positief te beïnvloeden is door meer te ventileren? We gaan in dit artikel op basis van bestaande studies in op de relatie tussen luchtkwaliteit, ventilatie en slaapkwaliteit en geven we aanbevelingen voor slaapkamerventilatie-eisen

Particulate matter exposure of chefs in professional kitchens

Exposure to increased concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) is related to a higher risk of respiratory and vascular diseases. Indoors, cooking appears to be a major source of PM2.5. In dwellings it has been demonstrated that cooking can lead to concentrations well above the health limits. However, only little is known about the concentrations typically observed in professional kitchens where cooking is the major activity. Therefore, an inventory field study has been set up to measure PM2.5 exposure in the breathing zone of chefs in professional restaurants. In total seven restaurants took part in the study. In all kitchens, PM2.5 exposure in the breathing zone of the chef and at two locations in the kitchen was measured. During the measurements activities of the chef were listed and characteristics of the kitchens were mapped (e.g. open/closed kitchen, type of ventilation, type of food that is prepared). The initial results show that in all restaurants, chefs are exposed to concentrations above the WHO-limit, i.e. average daily exposure of 25 µg/m³. Cooking style, hood and background concentration in the kitchen are factors contributing to the concentration in the kitchen. However, the peak exposure of the chef appears to be highly dependent on behavior and location in relation to the stove and exhaust hoods