Windows and office worker satisfaction: positives and negatives

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Windows and office worker satisfaction: positives and negatives

Windows and Office Worker Satisfaction:

Positives and Negatives

Guy Newsham, Myriam Aries, Jennifer Veitch, Kate Charles

Windows

• People want windows! • Access to daylight

• Time & weather information • Restorative properties

3 Slide of 11

COPE Field Study

• COPE project studied the effect of open-plan office design choices on indoor environment and occupant satisfaction

(x2)

(x3)

6 cities in 2 countries,

6 cities in 2 countries,

9 buildings in 5 organizations (public and private),

9 buildings in 5 organizations (public and private),

779 workstations

779 workstations

Field study visited:

Field study visited:

COPE Field Study

5 Slide of 11

Office Satisfaction

Physical Conditions

Charles, K.E., Veitch, J.A., Farley, K.M.J., Newsham, G.R. (2003). Environmental Satisfaction in Open-Plan Environments: 3. Further Scale Validation, Research

Report, Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council Canada,pp. 27 (RR-152; B3205.21).

Satisfaction with

Privacy & Acoustics

• … external conversations, distractions, enclosure, visual

privacy, distance to coworkers, privacy for your conversations, background noise, size of workstation, ability to alter physical conditions, aesthetic appearance of your office

• Less satisfied if:

– Older – Female

– Smaller workstation (< 7’ x 7’)

7 Slide of 11

Satisfaction with

Ventilation

• … air movement, overall air quality, temperature • Less satisfied if:

– Female

– Outside recommended temperatures (particularly high) – Carbon dioxide concentration high (> 650 ppm)

– Panels are high

– Humidity is low (< 30%)

– Next to a window

(only one study building had openable windows)

Satisfaction with

Lighting

• … quality of lighting, amount of desktop lighting, amount of light for computer work, glare on the computer screen,

access to a view of outside • Less satisfied if:

– Smaller workstations (< 7’x7’) – Panels are high (> 54”)

– Reflected glare on the computer screen

– Illuminance outside recommended range (300-500 lux)

9 Slide of 11

Satisfaction with

Lighting

• Relationship between windows and lighting particularly complex • All statistically significant effects …

10

Slide of 11

11 Slide of 11

Conclusions

• Window access is highly desirable and has demonstrated benefits

• Windows also have the potential to create dissatisfaction

• LEED provides the impetus to take a more careful and objective look at the issues.