An assessment of the correlation between indoor environmental quality and productivity in a university building: Occupants' perspective

Abstract

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is important to the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants. It is believed that poor IEQ is associated with a number of different phenomena, most notably, the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), Building-related Illness (BRI), and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), which, of course, have major effects on productivity. This paper presents results of a post occupancy survey response to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in a university building in Johannesburg, South Africa. The paper assesses the correlation between IEQ and the occupants' productivity in a University building. The primary data for the study was collected through a structured questionnaire survey distributed to a sample of 75 occupants of the building in Johannesburg South Africa. Findings from the survey revealed that the occupants of the building are not satisfied with the IEQ of the building. Also revealed was that the IEQ with a particular reference to the noise level, affects the productivity and performance of the occupants. Since building occupants are a rich source of information about IEQ assessment and its effect on productivity, the study can be used to assess the performance of an educational building, identify areas needing improvement, and provide useful feedback to designers and operators about specific aspects of the building design features and operating strategies that need improvement. This study adds to the knowledge on higher education building IEQ. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014.