Extract

Buildings labelled as ‘green’ often carry high occupant expectations. This can be particularly evident in the commercial office sector where occupants generally anticipate improved comfort conditions, an element which also impacts on their perceived health and productivity levels. This paper reports on a recent post occupancy evaluation of a number of commercial office buildings in Adelaide, South Australia conducted in ‘green’ and ‘non-green’ buildings. Internal environment monitoring and occupant surveys were conducted to assess the perceived and actual thermal, visual and aural comforts, and also health and productivity. This paper focuses on occupants’ satisfaction in response to seasonal temperature conditions with survey results showing that green buildings exhibit equal and in some cases decreased occupant satisfaction of internal environmental conditions when compared to non-green buildings. Responses to thermal comfort questions were reviewed against actual temperature measurements logged within both the green and non-green buildings. The study found that altering building temperature set points based on ASHRAE Standard 55-2010 will likely result in improved occupant satisfaction of thermal conditions with the potential to reduce energy consumption.

 

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