Effect of temperature on perceived work environment, symptoms and selfestimated productivity in office work

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of elevated summer indoor temperatures onperceived comfort, symptoms and subjectively assessed productivity in an office building.The measurements during spring 2002 showed that indoor environment was at the normalFinnish office building level. The mean room temperature during the 2-week measurementperiod was 22C. An indoor air questionnaire (MM-40-FIN) including additional questionsabout work efficiency was presented to the employees during the measurements. Theperceived indoor environment was at the normal Finnish office level.

Environmental quality and the productive workplace

A good working environment will help to provide the user with a good sense of well-being,inspiration and comfort. The main advantages of good environments is in terms of reducedupgrading investment, reduced sickness absence, an optimum level of productivity andimproved overall satisfaction. Individuals respond very differently to their environments andresearch suggests a correlation between worker productivity and well-being, environmental,social and organizational factors.

Indoor climate and perceived comfort in offices

A method has been developed to investigate the comfort in office buildings. It is based onboth measurements and a questionnaire. The measurement apparatus, the so-calledAmbiometer, can record both the main comfort parameters, such as temperature, humidity,noise, light and odours, and the occupant's perceived comfort. Information regarding theindoor climate and the working environment is noted on the questionnaire.Experiments were conducted on about 50 offices in France.

German guide for the prevention, investigation, evaluation and remediation of indoor mould growth (‘mould guide’)

The German Federal Environmental Agency has published a ‘mould guide’, which aims at harmonizing procedures to investigate and evaluate indoor mould contamination. The policy behind the guide is not to make a health assessment for every individual case ba

Effects of indoor air quality on office workers’ work performance - a preliminary analysis

We conducted an epidemiological study to examine the associations between indoor climate and office workers’ health and working efficiency. We investigated four office buildings in Massachusetts, USA, beginning May 1997 over 1 year. Ninety-eight participa

A design oriented indexing system for energy use and indoor climate

An assessment concept is being developed for iterative design of office buildings withintegrated energy and indoor comfort solutions. An indexing system has been devised thatincorporates environmental effects of energy use with thermal and atmospheric indoor climatein a score on a common scale from 0 to 100%, called the Eco-factor. Only the operativephase of the building life cycle is considered. Only indoor climate aspects that are closelyinter-related with energy use are considered: Thermal comfort and Indoor Air Quality.

Effects of naturally ventilated double skin walls on indoor thermal environment

Natural ventilation is a prevailing way to relieve the indoor thermal environment against warmand humid climate. The field measurement of the thermal performance of a model house withnaturally ventilated double skin walls compared with a conventional insulated model housewas carried out. Only the gap between the double skins is ventilated, while the indoor of theconventional model is ventilated mechanically.

Post-occupancy monitoring of windcatchers for summer ventilation in the UK

A combined windcatcher and light pipe (SunCatcher) was installed in the building of theSchool of Construction Management and Engineering in the MSc Seminar Room (2N09).Monitoring of indoor environment in real weather conditions was conducted to evaluate theperformance of windcatchers in the room and to conduct occupant survey. External weatherconditions and internal indoor environment and air quality indicators were recorded. Thetracer gas decay method using SF6 was used to establish the air change rate for variousconditions.

The indoor climate in historic buildings without mechanical ventilation systems

A study of the microclimate in four rooms in historic buildings reveals the different priorities,and, therefore, the different climatic data, needed by museum conservators, compared withpeople studying human welfare. In particular, it is important for conservators to know if a lowpollutant concentration indoors is due to a clean outdoor climate, a low air exchange rate orpollutant absorbent artwork on the interior walls of the building.

Indoor conditions in ultra-lightweight structures: a case study

This paper reports a number of physical indexes for the assessment of the indoorenvironmental quality of new steel truss structures, used as classrooms at the CataniaUniversity Campus (southern Italy).By means of a multi-channel recording apparatus and questionnaires filled in by thestudents, the following data were collected: indoor dry bulb temperature, relative humidity, airvelocity, mean radiant temperature, workplane illuminance, PMV, PPD, MV, MMV. On thebasis of these data, the comfort requirements are not achieved.

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