Effects of different environment combinations on the comfort and productivity of researchers in winter

Abstract

Indoor environmental quality is considered an important indicator of the sustainable development of architecture. It not only reflects the comfort level of occupants in the building but also affects their productivity, particularly in research institutions. However, due to the inherent correlation among various environmental indexes, it is difficult to evaluate the influence of specific physical parameters on the occupant’s comfort and research performance. This paper is based on an experiment conducted in a controlled research office in a pharmaceutical research company in the Northeast of China. The controlled research office was equipped with a radiant floor heating system that supplied heating in winter. We recruited 32 researchers and divided them into four subgroups. Each subgroup of researchers was required to conduct daily research activities under 12 different environment combinations. Data were collected from physical environment measurements, questionnaire surveys and performance tests. The results reflected that under the condition of radian floor heating in winter, changes in thermal, visual and acoustic environments could have a significant influence on occupants’ satisfaction with the environment. However, the research performance was affected only by thermal and acoustic conditions. There was a weak correlation among thermal, visual, acoustic and indoor air quality comfort.