Zhonghua Gou

Subjective and Objective Evaluation of the Thermal Environment in a Three-Star Green Office Building in China

A post-occupancy study was carried out to investigate the thermal environment in a high-standard office building certified by China Three-star Green Building Label. The study included a subjective evaluation of the indoor environment quality and work performance. A total of 182 office workers responded to the questionnaire survey based on the Building Use Studies (BUS) Occupant Survey and Reporting Method. Objective measurements of the thermal environment (temperature and relative humidity) under mechanically and naturally ventilated conditions were also carried out in the building. Although the thermal environment satisfied the majority of respondents, 12% and 20% reported dissatisfaction with summer and winter temperatures, respectively. The complaint on summer temperature was mainly from those working close to the chilled air outlets of the air-conditioners. The perception of cold winter temperatures revealed the potential shortcomings of sustainable building design in humid subtropical climates, where natural ventilation and passive cooling would predominate in the sustainable design while cold air in winter would tend to be neglected. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reasons why green buildings succeeded or failed to meet occupants’ perception and this could have an implication in the design decisions for green building practice.

Contextualizing green building rating systems: Case study of Hong Kong

Abstract The paper reports on a research study undertaken on the differentiation of green building certification systems at an international, national and local level. Through a cross comparison, authors are able to explain the differences by the contextualism theory which could be traced back to the fundamental divergence on lifestyles, preferences, urban morphology besides climatic variations. The discussion is derived from a study of three green rating systems representing international, national and local systems with reference to intentions, mechanisms and benchmarks to facilitate objective assessments. For the case of Hong Kong, local challenges are identified and compared with counterparts at a national level. Two residential projects having certified by the ‘modified, localized’ national system is selected for a case study for synopsis with a view to explain the cause and effect of transferability versus non-transferability of assessment credits and protocols. Introducing and applying national and international systems to a local context can detect flaws in local design practices that may be ignored in the local rating system.

Indoor Environmental Satisfaction in Two LEED Offices and its Implications in Green Interior Design

The green building movement is an attempt to address IEQ and occupant health concerns by providing healthier building environments. As improved IEQ is the stated goal of green design, we question how green offices are in fact performing in comparison to non-green buildings, from the occupants’ perspectives. The findings of this research showed there was no significant difference in the overall satisfaction with IEQ between the two LEED offices and conventional offices in the same city. The most influential IEQ aspect of overall satisfaction was lighting satisfaction. One LEED office had good satisfaction with the noise environment but poor satisfaction with the lighting environment; the other LEED office had good satisfaction with the lighting environment. The IEQ characteristics in the two LEED offices are discussed to generate design implications in green interior projects and IEQ improvements.

Post‐occupancy evaluation of the thermal environment in a green building

Purpose – A green building should provide occupants with a comfortable and energy‐efficient environment. The aim of this paper is, following a post‐occupancy study, to find out whether the green intent is being delivered.Design/methodology/approach – A post‐occupancy study was conducted in a high standard office building certified by Chinas Green Building Label. The study included an occupant survey and a physical measurement.Findings – The building generally achieved its intended thermal environment of 25°C during cooling seasons and satisfied more than 80 per cent of occupants. Sources of discomfort, including low temperatures in both the summer and winter were identified. Objective measurements showed that the buildings indoor temperature varied among floors in both the summer and winter. The variation was mainly a result of occupancy conditions. Variations in the thermal environment also revealed that the buildings users have good energy conservation habits.Research limitations/implications – Post‐...

Comparison of mood and task performance in naturally-lit and artificially-lit environments

The article presents the results of a laboratory study conducted at Shanghai Tongji University. The study compares participants’ mood and task performance between naturally-lit and artificially-lit environments, with a view to identify negative impacts, such as lighting variation and temperature asymmetry caused by dynamic natural light. It was observed that the mood change in the naturally-lit environment was more significant, especially the decrease of positive mood, than in the artificially-lit environment. For the subjects in the naturally-lit environment, performance scores decreased with increase in the light intensity and temperature asymmetry. Based on the study results, suitable daylighting design was recommended for classrooms or offices.

Impacts of green certifications, ventilation and office types on occupant satisfaction with indoor environmental quality

One of the important reasons for the interest in green buildings is that the employees can benefit from healthy and productive work environments. This research aims to provide evidence that can affect design decisions by a literature review and an occupant survey. Three important design decisions (green certifications, ventilation types and office types) were investigated through a standard occupant survey in China. Highly rated green buildings could be effective to provide a comfortable, healthy and productive work environment. Mixed-mode ventilation (a hybrid approach to space conditioning that uses a combination of natural ventilation and mechanical systems) and high cubicles (open-plan offices with high partitions) are sensible choices for green buildings to achieve high environmental satisfactions.

Sick building syndrome in open‐plan offices: Workplace design elements and perceived indoor environmental quality

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to present a sick building syndrome (SBS) survey in open‐plan offices. The design factors (indoor plants, workstation partitions, and operable windows) that predict SBS were described for architects and interior designers, and the indoor environmental characteristics (thermal comfort, air quality, noise and lighting) that contribute to SBS symptoms were also investigated.Design/methodology/approach – This study used a standard Building Use Studies (BUS) questionnaire that included sick building syndrome symptoms, environmental satisfaction and perception, and background information about the respondents and their office space. The questionnaire was conducted in 30 offices of building‐related professionals in Hong Kong. There were 469 Chinese office workers that participated.Findings – Indoor plants and operable windows were related to a reduction of SBS symptoms; while workstation partitions did not affect the incidence of SBS symptoms. There were fewer sick buildi...

Green building for office interiors: challenges and opportunities

Purpose This paper aims to examine the concept and practice of green building for office interiors: whether the green intent can be effectively implemented in an interior retrofitting project. Design/methodology/approach Reviewing green building rating systems for interiors, examining certified interior projects and interviewing occupants working in certified green offices. Findings The green building credits for interiors fall into three relational layers: the urban context, the host building and interior fit-outs. Most projects under study performed well on credits for interior fit-outs (e.g. low emitting materials, energy efficient equipment and appliances, etc.), while underperformed on credits for its host building (e.g. air-conditioning systems, ventilation, etc.). The latter might more significantly affect working experience. The other important green aspects, such as daylight availability, facilities accessibility, might be subject to its location and urban context. Research limitations/implications This article presents a multi-examination of green interiors. The data came from second-hand Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design scorecards and qualitative interviews. More quantitative surveys are expected to be conducted. Practical implications Green interior retrofitting should go beyond selecting environmental-friendly finishes and furniture or resource-efficient fixtures and appliances. It should proactively start from assessing the environmental performance of the host building and its urban context. Originality/value Most research looked at green building as a whole. Green interiors are actually more practical for tenants who intend to reduce their corporate environmental impacts, whereas they do not have control over whole building design and operations. This article highlights the importance of green interior retrofitting and provides guidance.

Effectiveness of air-well type courtyards on moderating thermal environments in tropical Chinese Shophouse

ABSTRACT In Southeast Asia with tropical climates, Chinese Shophouse (CSH) as a type of vernacular architecture is usually equipped with small intermediate air-well type courtyards, also known as ‘Tianjin’, to moderate the indoor thermal environment. This paper investigates the effectiveness of air-well type courtyards as passive design strategies on moderating indoor thermal environments in two CSHs located in Malacca, Malaysia. The study used a field survey and a CFD simulation. Statistical analyses of indoor air temperature and heat index (HI) measured at different locations of the CSHs show that intermediate spaces next to the air-wells had significantly lower air temperature and HI. Cross ventilation through the openings on the walls and air-wells resulted in a significantly lower normalized mean age of air and higher air velocity. The air-well is a suitable passive design strategy to reduce overheating during daytime and to increase cooling of building structure during night-time. The air-well courtyards should be arranged in alignment with the prevailing wind to maximize the cross ventilation and passive cooling.

Quality of Life (QoL) Survey in Hong Kong: Understanding the Importance of Housing Environment and Needs of Residents from Different Housing Sectors

This study presents a Quality of Life (QoL) survey to understand the influence of the housing environment and needs of residents from different housing sectors. The research focuses on Hong Kong where living conditions have become the main affect for people’s QoL. Through a household survey using a standard instrument “Word Health Organisation (WHO) Quality of Life-BREF”, the article found that among the four WHO QoL domains (Physical Health, Psychological Health, Social Relations And Environment), Environment, particularly its constitute aspect housing environment was the most influential factor for overall quality of life for the public rental housing sector where low-income people live. This research also found that different groups of people have differing needs of their housing environments: the low-income group needs better location and privacy while the medium and high-income groups need better architectural quality. Based on differentiating their needs and wants, this research argues for prioritizing the low-income group’s needs for effectively improving their QoL.