Lighting quality and acoustic quality in LEED-certified buildings using occupant evaluation

Abstract

Lighting quality and acoustic quality are often not well addressed in the current green building practice, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System in the US. While the level of LEED certification indicates the level of sustainability, it is not clear if a higher level of LEED certification also implies a more comfortable and productive work environment. The study intended to find the relationship between the level of LEED certification and the level of worker satisfaction and perceived job performance regarding lighting quality and acoustic quality from fifteen LEED-certified buildings. The findings indicate that the LEED Platinum building group tended to provide better lighting quality than the other lower certification groups, while the LEED Gold building group showed lower lighting quality and acoustic quality than the rest of the groups. Workplace designers and organizations should be mindful of the importance of lighting and acoustic qualities in promoting better comfort and productivity as it is easy to overlook these criteria when complying with LEED IEQ guidelines.