Effect of thermal comfort on occupant productivity in office buildings: Response surface analysis

• Published in: Building and environment Vol. 180; p. 107021
• Main Authors: Kaushik, Amit, Arif, Mohammed, Tumula, Prasad, Ebohon, Obas John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Building design; Buildings; Carbon dioxide; Data analysis; Environmental effects; Environmental factors; Environmental quality; Indoor environmental quality; Indoor environments; Mathematical analysis; Office buildings; Parameters; Productivity; Q factors; Response surface methodology; Surface analysis (chemical); Thermal comfort; Thermal environments; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds
• ISSN: 0360-1323; 1873-684X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107021

Thermal environment is one of the main factors that influence occupants' comfort and their productivity in office buildings. There is ample research that outlines this relationship between thermal comfort and occupant productivity. However, there is a lack of literature that presents mathematical relationship between them. This paper presents a research experimental study that investigates effects of indoor environmental quality factors on thermal comfort and occupant productivity. This study was conducted by collecting indoor environmental quality parameters using sensors and online survey for twelve months. Data analysis was done using Response Surface Analysis to outline any mathematical relationship between indoor environmental quality and occupant productivity. The outlined relationships confirmed dependencies of occupant thermal comfort and productivity on various indoor environmental factors. These dependencies include the effect of CO2 concentration, VOC concentration. These relationships were analysed to rank nine indoor environmental parameters as per the degree of effect on occupant thermal comfort and productivity. These findings would help design professionals to design better office design that would improve occupants’ comfort and their productivity. Study results have different implications for professionals working in design, construction and operation of office buildings. It is recommended that design guidelines for office buildings should consider occupant productivity and incorporate recommended range for indoor environmental quality parameters in respective categories and criteria.
•Equation presenting the relationship between occupant productivity and indoor environment quality factors.•Eight relationships outline the direct impact of nine indoor environmental parameters on thermal comfort and productivity.•Comfortable range of nine indoor environmental parameters to achieve optimum productivity.•Ranking the indoor environmental quality parameters based on their impact on thermal comfort and productivity.•Design interventions and recommendations to improve the productivity of office occupants.