Investigating the Indoor Environment Quality Parameters and Their Relationship with Occupants’ Satisfaction in Office Buildings: A Review

Abstract

The relation between indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and occupants comfort has become a critical area of research through building life cycle. The importance of the relationship becomes highlighted when IEQ has a strong influence to change people behaviour through its nature specifically in places like an office building where the productivity of occupants remains at the top of everything. In this regard, this manuscript documented the parameters of the indoor environment quality which has a strong influence on occupants’ comfort. Through critical review of literature, it has been found that IEQ parameters as thermal, noise, light and air quality could strongly affect the human comfort and health while having a critical role in energy consumption in the building. Moreover, there is a complicated relation among IEQ parameters which make it difficult for a designer to find a balance among them regarding occupants’ comfort and productivity and this complication is more confusing in green construction. Many post occupancy evaluation (POE) studies in both conventional and green buildings have carried out, but almost none of them indicated a full satisfaction with IEQ parameters simultaneously. Therefore, this paper investigated among IEQ parameters and their correlation with each other pertaining to occupants’ satisfaction, health and productivity in office buildings with different methods of construction.