Characteristics and Reasons of Manual Shade Use in a Green Office Building: A Questionnaire Based Study

Abstract

The manual operation of manual shades plays a significant role in actual building performance. The characteristics of the use of shade and the reasons behind it in a green office building in China have been investigated in this paper. A questionnaire survey with 23 questions was designed and a total of 146 occupants in an office building were invited to take part in the survey. Statistical tests and approaches including non-parametric correlation, cross-tabulation, correspondence analysis and clustering were used to identify shade use patterns and their relation with contextual factors. The results show that sitting closer to windows does not necessarily increase shade actions and most shade raise occurs upon arrival and in the morning while most shade-lowering actions appear at noon and in the afternoon. Two and six clusters were revealed by clustering, respectively, for the time of raising and lowering actions. Regarding the relationship between raising and lowering time, three behavior patterns were identified by correspondence analysis. The first group of occupants typically raise the shades upon arrival or in the morning and lower them in the afternoon. The second group has a tendency to lower the shades upon arrival or in the morning and raise them at noon. The last group often raises the shades upon arrival, lowers them at noon or departure, and occasionally raises them again at departure. Given the current situation of light and shade use, daylight, occupancy and shade-based lighting control have the potential for reducing the lighting energy.