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Purpose This paper aims to provide a snapshot of workers’ experience while working from home (WFH) during the Australian lockdown in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. It focuses on lessons to inform organizations, employees and the design of the workspaces post-2020, human, organizational and environmental considerations may affect satisfaction, productivity and health. Design/methodology/approach Two separate surveys were designed for this study to target Australian organizations and knowledge workers. Participants included 28 organizations and 301 employees, and descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted. Findings Organizations stated productivity losses, maintaining culture and workplace health and safety concerns with WFH setup while employees were more concerned about their social interactions, internet connectivity and increased workload. Employees also found the social aspects of WFH challenging and disclosed that face-to-face interactions with their colleagues was the most important reason they wanted to return to the office. High level of trust and value was reported amongst the organizations and workers. Originality/value In the scarcity of academic literature around negative and positives of the WFH experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the main sources of information have been industry-focused reports. This study aims to contribute to this knowledge gap by identifying positives and negative aspects of WFH during the first wave of lockdowns in Australia in 2020 from the organization and workers’ perspective, including human, organizational and environmental considerations.

Mould growth affects 1 in 3 homes, and it is the biggest cause for complaints and litigations filed to the relevant authorities in Australia, while significantly affecting the physical and psychological health of the building occupants. Indoor mould is caused by excessive dampness, resulting from poor architectural specification, construction and maintenance practices, as well as inappropriate occupants’ behaviour. The consequences range from early biodeterioration of building materials, requiring anticipated renovation works, to deterioration of the indoor environment, posing a serious threat to the building occupants. This study investigates indoor air quality and mould growth, providing a snapshot of the current indoor air quality of Australian residential buildings regarding air pollutants. It uses a case study representative of the typical Australian suburban home to investigate the effects of unnoticed mould growth. Results of the monitoring campaign indicate that buildings with a high concentration of fungal spores are also more likely to present poor indoor air quality levels, high concentrations of particulate matters (PM 10 and PM 2.5) and CO 2. This research suggests the need for the development of early detection strategies that could minimize the health hazard to people, thereby preventing the need for a major renovation.

The Australian 2019/20 summer witnessed an extraordinary bushfire season characterised by unprecedented duration, geographical reach and impact. The aftermath of the bushfires includes increased health-related implications on people due to short and long exposure to poor air quality. The current advice from the Australian authorities in such events is to remain indoors, as it was assumed indoor air quality (IAQ) is healthy. This paper examined that assumption and presents the case study of an office building in Canberra subjected to the 2019/20 bushfires, responding to the need of understanding the ability of air-conditioning buildings to cope with such unprecedented and extreme weather events. Measured data for indoor concentration of CO2, PM10 and PM2.5 recorded a prolonged period of concerning levels, as well as extreme concentration peaks. This poses a significant risk to the occupants’ health. The values showed peaks up to 12 times higher for PM10 and 24 times higher for PM2.5 than the recommended critical thresholds. The infiltration factor and protection performance analysis suggest that old filtering systems and low airtightness levels are not optimal in protecting the indoor environment from outdoor air pollutants. Practice relevance Results show that the concentration of the outdoor pollutant significantly exceeded thresholds for a prolonged time, posing a health risk to the population. The case study presented has been partially able to protect its occupants thanks to the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) response, but this brings up the concern about all those spaces where mechanical ventilation may not be installed or have the same filtering system. Evidence provided here calls for an urgent update of the protection agenda to account for extreme weather events with regard to the diverse indoor built environments, because relying on the mechanical ventilation system is no more sufficient to provide healthy and safe environments.

Purpose From poor indoor environmental quality conditions to musculoskeletal discomfort, the interior design of workspaces has the potential to negatively affect human health. One of the key responses from industry has been the rise of health-related guidelines, certification and rating tools. Despite the rapid adoption of such tools by the Australian high-end corporate real estate, there is a scarcity of empirical evidence arising from such premises. This study aims to compare results from certified premises against other open-plan offices to understand differences arising from occupants’ satisfaction, perceived productivity and health. Design/methodology/approach A total of 1,121 post-occupancy evaluation (POE) surveys conducted in 9 offices were analyzed. All these premises hold a certification from the Green Building Council of Australia and two achieved a WELL rating. The analysis is performed in three parts: comparing WELL-certified (2 cases) and non-WELL certified (7 cases) offices along with comparison with a benchmark of 9,794 POE surveys from the BOSSA database, comparing activity-based working (ABW) (5 cases) and traditional (4 cases) offices along with comparison with BOSSA database and qualitative study of the similar design features in all 9 offices accompanied with an in-depth analysis of the health-related issues that might have occurred because of poor ergonomic design. For the first two parts, several t-tests are performed. Findings Highest scores for overall satisfaction, workability, perceived productivity and health were reported on WELL-rated premises. Offices incorporating active design principles outperformed others on workability, satisfaction with work area, collaboration, unwanted interruptions, perceived productivity and health. ABW environments outperformed the traditional offices on spatial comfort, thermal comfort, noise and privacy, personal control, comfort of furnishing, adjustability of the work area and space to collaborate. People using sit–stand workstations reported spending significantly less time seated and female workers were more prone to reporting pain over the past 12 months. The best-performing offices implemented active and biophilic design, prioritized overall ergonomics and different spaces designed to support a variety of work-related activities. Originality/value This research conducts a comparison between certified premises against other offices in terms of occupants’ satisfaction, perceived productivity and health. A qualitative analysis is also conducted to investigate personal and physical environmental aspects. The way of working (ABW or traditional), implementation of active design features, self-reported musculoskeletal discomfort and physical activity were also investigated. The study has taken a holistic approach to investigate many health-related physical, environmental and emotional aspects in certified workspaces.

Urban life allows for people to move between climate-controlled environments, including homes cars, offices and so forth. The planning and design of urban spaces, on the other hand, largely define the way we live affecting our health as it can, for instance, promote or hinder active lifestyles, social cohesion and access to healthy food choices. Climate responsive planning and design are, therefore, key to secure a healthy urban lifestyle. The Journal of Public Space is developing a Special Issue (SI) broadly focused on these relationships between urban planning and design and public health. This SI is premised on the belief that making the United Nation's New Urban Agenda (adopted in Quito, at the Habitat III conference) work locally needs more than overall regulations, or importing solutions from elsewhere. Climate can vary within short distances and the way public open spaces are designed must also vary according to the climatic characteristics of each place. This SI is then focused on local unique climates and their relationships with city dwellers’ age, culture, preferences and perceptions to promote and achieve healthy lifestyles. We are particularly interested in the role of urban planning and design for public open spaces in promoting healthy lifestyles and in exploring how these relationships are manifested in and influenced by different climates as well as environmental conditions. Papers in this issue are expected to be based upon theoretical and empirical studies, or evidence-based analysis based upon strong qualitative and quantitative data. Through a diversity of approaches, we aim to add a climate-based perspective for public open spaces to the discussions around planning and design for health and well-being and then inform the empirical discourse. If this is your area of work and/or interest, please send an abstract not longer than 300 words by 20th of November to our Guest Editor Dr Silvia Tavares from James Cook University (Australia) at: silvia.tavares1@jcu.edu.au. We will select promising contributions and discuss them with the Chief editor of The Journal of Public Space. The selected authors will then be asked to deliver a full manuscript by 10th of May 2019, which will be double-blind peer-reviewed. We expect the first round of reviews to be completed in August. We look forward to receiving your abstract, and if you know other colleagues who might be interested in contributing, please share this call with them.

Currently, the available studies on the prediction of building energy performance and real occupancy data are typically characterized by aggregated and averaged occupancy patterns or large thermal zones of reference. Despite the increasing diffusion of smart energy management systems and the growing availability of longitudinal data regarding occupancy, these two domains rarely inform each other. This research aims at understanding the potential of employing real-time occupancy data to identify better cooling strategies for activity-based-working (ABW)-supportive offices and reduce the overall energy consumption. It presents a case study comparing the energy performance of the office when different resolutions of occupancy and thermal zoning are applied, ranging from the standard energy certification approach to real-time occupancy patterns. For the first time, one year of real-time occupancy data at the desk resolution, captured through computer logs and Bluetooth devices, is used to investigate this issue. Results show that the actual cooling demand is 9% lower than predicted, unveiling the energy-saving potential to be achieved from HVAC systems for non-assigned seating environments. This research demonstrates that harnessing real-time occupancy data for demand-supply cooling management at a fine-grid resolution is an efficient strategy to reduce cooling consumption and increase workers’ comfort. It also emphasizes the need for more data and monitoring campaigns for the definition of more accurate and robust energy management strategies.

(1) Background: Pandemic-imposed lockdowns have heightened our awareness of the value of (work)place and made apparent the role it plays in establishing our sense of belonging and professional identity. The opportunity to work remotely during the pandemic has given us an appreciation of the benefits from access to increased flexibility, but there is consistent evidence emerging showing how much workers miss in-office social and learning interactions. This paper focuses on results about (i) reported perceived effectiveness and performance, (ii) sense of adjustment to remote working, and (iii) sense of belonging during the first two COVID-19-induced lockdowns, as reported by managers and workers in Australia in 2020. Findings shed light onto (i) how remote working experience affected our connection to, and the importance of, (work)place and (ii) how to harness insights towards creating spaces responsive to the activities we prefer to undertake in the workplace, permitting employees to choose the workstyle and pattern that suits their professional role and personal circumstances. (2) Methods: Correlational and thematic analyses were conducted on findings from 1579 online surveys focusing on remote working experiences during the first and second rounds of COVID-19-imposed lockdowns. A total of 668 managers and 911 workers from 12 different industry sectors participated in two rounds of the Bates Smart remote work survey (BSRWS). Surveys targeted knowledge workers of all career stages, age, and experience. (3) Results: Employees felt (i) technologically supported and productive whilst working from home, but (ii) aspects of connection, collaboration, and sense of belonging suffered; (iii) collaboration and togetherness are main motivators for returning to the office. Managers’ experiences were significantly different with (i) perceived productivity, collaboration, knowledge sharing, sense of belonging, and performance dropping; (ii) face-to-face interaction and business development were key priorities for returning to the office with (iii) challenges of mentoring and managing emotional wellbeing of teams evident. (4) Conclusions: From these surveys we conclude space is an enabler of organisational culture and professional identity, playing a critical role in establishing psychologically safe and equitable workplaces. This paper reports snapshot data showing knowledge workers’ experiences and effects of WFH under strict lockdown circumstances on wellbeing, productivity, and culture over time. It proposes two lenses (togetherness and place), through which the future workplace should be considered by industry and researchers alike.

Among current adoptions of standard industrial robotic arms for automation and mass customisation in the building industry, robotic fabrication is of interest for bespoke manufacturing and advancing mobile and onsite construction processes. The use of robotic arms can be of significance particularly where access and site conditions limit further construction of building elements to be inserted in an existing architectural fabric. This paper introduces research and development of robotic carbon-fibre winding of an integrated ceiling structure to support open and flexible workspaces scenarios. The project Systems Reef 1.0 explores the potential and viability for an integrated infrastructure that expands standard office-ceiling grid systems to support flexible workspace scenario and the agency of networked, dynamic and self-organising teams. To this extent, multiple soffit-hung, rotational and retractable data booms provide fibre-optic data, electrical cabling and integrated lighting. Through geometrically complex, fibre-reinforced building elements that are robotically manufactured onsite, a new distribution system for data and light can be provided to support individual and multi-group collaborations in a contemporary open-plan office for maximum flexibility. In this paper, we discuss research into the development of robotic carbon-fibre threading sequences and physical demonstrators for an integrated ceiling structure that takes into account local ceiling constraints. Using a KUKA KR10 industrial robot and mobile platform, carbon-fibre threading prototypes were integrated with onsite conditions and synthesised in four physical demonstrators that support data provision for flexible desking in open-plan office environment where prefabrication of large-sized building modules is restricted due to access constraints. The paper discusses challenges in integrating robotic carbon-fibre threading, data-driven occupancy, structural performance and results for workspace flexibility, and concludes with an outlook towards future potentials.

One of the potential positive aspects of spaces designed to support Activity-Based Working (ABW) concept is to allow people to choose to work from zones that suit their Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) preferences. The vast majority of studies reporting findings relevant to IEQ performance of ABW spaces rely on spot measurements and/or subjective surveys and as such it is difficult to map longitudinal actual utilisation patterns and IEQ performance. This study contributes to this topic by analyzing a longitudinal dataset of space utilisation of an ABW over a twelve-month period. Analysis aims to identify overlaps between space utilisation patterns and expected IEQ performance in order to understand which types of zones occupants seem to prefer to work from. Occupants’ demographics (age and gender) were also analyzed with respect to the use of space. Further, specific physical markers were investigated, namely proximity to window, air-conditioning outlets, and high-low noise locations. The impact of physical markers on workplace choice was classified and predicted during a day using a decision-tree diagram developed on the basis of the CHAID algorithm. Overall, workers tended to choose to work within the inner zones (after 11 a.m.) during winter. Findings show that female workers moved away from air-conditioning outlets. Additionally, female workers worked from workstations situated in high and medium noise zones. Results illustrated the potential to use utilisation datasets to understand how workers move away or towards zones in response to expected IEQ performance - thermal comfort (cold/warm), acoustics (noisy/quiet), and access to the outdoor environment/view (window) proximity.

Purpose In the rise of offices designed to support activity-based working (ABW), parts of industry have fully transitioned to open-plan environments and then later to unassigned seating, whereas other parts, such as tertiary education, are still in the process of moving away from individual offices. There are a few relevant studies to understand how occupants from industry sectors with different levels of adoption of ABW perceived environments designed to support this way of working. This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge gap by providing insight into workers’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction from open-plan offices designed to support ABW along with the key predictors of perceived productivity. Design/methodology/approach A data set of 2,090 post-occupancy evaluation surveys conducted in five sectors – tertiary education, finance, construction, property/asset management and design/engineering – was analyzed. ANOVA and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted for the survey questionnaires. First, ANOVA tests were conducted for the whole sample with perceived productivity as the dependent variable. A seven-point Likert scale with five theoretical factors was generated with all survey questionnaires. CFA was performed to show the factor loadings. In addition, regression analyses were carried out for each of factor item taken as the independent variable, where perceived productivity was the dependent variable. Key sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction per sector were analyzed and differences between occupants reporting a negative or positive impact on their productivity were also investigated. Finally, open-ended comments were analyzed to show the key sources of dissatisfaction based on open-ended comments. Findings Workers from construction were the most satisfied, followed by finance and tertiary education. Occupants from all industry sectors consistently rated their workspaces highly on biophilic and interior design. Distraction and privacy received the lowest scores from all sectors. Open-ended comments showed mismatches between spatial and behavioral dimensions of ABW both for satisfaction and perceived productivity. Interior design was the strongest predictor for perceived productivity for all sectors. Findings dispel the notion that ABW implementation may not be suitable for certain industries, as long as the three key pillars of ABW are fully implemented, including design, behavior and technology. Originality/value This paper provides insight into workers’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction from open-plan offices designed to support ABW in different industry sectors along with the key predictors of perceived productivity.

Flexible Learning Environments (FLEs) arose as enablers for implementation of student-centric pedagogical approaches. Interior design is the key to the success of FLEs, providing the physical infrastructure needed for students to engage on several learning activities, from individual to group work, which take place in a variety of zones ranging from low to high energy. Therefore, a harmonious synergy between the interior design and subsequent Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) performance of FLEs’ physical configuration and learning activities is needed. The objective of this paper is to systematically review (in accordance with the PRISMA method) existing literature related to FLEs within primary school settings, typically catering to children aged 5–12 years old, to understand the body of work investigating the design and performance of FLEs over the last decade (2010–2020). Key findings suggest that the proximity and acoustic and visual permeability of zones found in FLEs may give rise to inadequate IEQ conditions delivered to students. In addition, it could be inferred from the results of the literature review that interior design and IEQ have not been sufficiently investigated in an integrated manner.

The existing building stock is recognised as a major contributor to total energy consumption and related carbon emissions around the globe. There is increased attention on the retrofit of existing building stock, especially residential buildings, as a way of curbing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Within this context, human nature connectedness (HNC) has the potential of further amplifying the benefits of sustainable buildings both from an energy conservation practice and tangible improvements to users’ satisfaction, health, and wellbeing. This study attempts to show a case study of the potential of using HNC through the adoption of biophilic design principles to improve a residential building performance. A terrace house located in Sydney, NSW, was used as a case study and proposed retrofit scenarios were simulated with DesignBuilder® and Rhinoceros/Grasshopper with a view of improved daylighting, thermal comfort, and energy consumption. The building performance is improved in terms of daylighting, thermal comfort, and reduced energy consumption, additionally enhancing HNC.

This paper addresses thermal comfort conditions in office buildings with rudimentary mixed-mode environments controlled by occupants compared to fully air-conditioning in a humid subtropical climate in Brazil. Occupants from three office buildings with two different environmental control strategies (two with mixed-mode ventilation and one with permanent air-conditioning) assessed their thermal environment via “right-here-right-now” online questionnaires, while indoor climatic measurements were simultaneously carried out in situ . 2688 questionnaires from 617 occupants were collected. The results indicated that air-conditioning in mixed-mode (MM) buildings controlled by occupants was used permanently throughout the year without any season pattern, being specially connected to the peak outdoor air temperature. In addition, there was a strong tendency toward thermal discomfort due to excessive cold in MM buildings at times when air-conditioning mode was under operation, and hot discomfort during the naturally ventilated mode. When compared to fully-air conditioning buildings, there were similarities in terms of occupant thermal sensation and acceptability levels within the same intervals of Standard Effective Temperature (SET). The results obtained in this study could be useful as a framework for future studies, as well as a baseline for a Brazilian thermal comfort standard.

Typical commercial lease agreements in Australia stipulate 22.5 ± 1.5 °C in summer as the acceptable thermal condition that buildings have to meet, even though the overcooling incurs excessive and unnecessary energy use, gas emissions and financial expense. An argument that backs up this practice asserts that office workers' productivity and comfort will be jeopardised outside this temperature range. This paper investigated whether the office environments with a practical higher temperature setpoint can still be cognitively efficient and comfortable for office workers. In a controlled climate chamber, 26 office workers experienced the typical summer indoor temperature condition in Australia (22 °C) followed by the condition with a higher temperature setpoint (25 °C). In both conditions, subjects were required to fulfil Cambridge Brain Science (CBS) cognitive performance tests, NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), and thermal comfort and air quality questionnaires. Meanwhile, participants' electroencephalogram (EEG) and heart rate (HR) were recorded under three different difficulty levels of Paced Auditory Serial Addition Tests (PASAT). Results showed that CBS test scores were not significantly affected by temperature; a higher temperature of 25 °C incurred a significantly reduced cognitive load for subjects, as has been observed by NASA-TLX, but probably due to the learning effect; the comparison between EEG and HR features during different temperatures did not show any significant difference. Participants' thermal comfort was not significantly jeopardized by the 3 °C temperature setback either. Results from this study favourably support a practical setback of temperature setpoints in Australian office buildings during summer.

The role of occupants is important as building energy consumption is significantly attributed to their behaviour. Given the diverse activities within, and high levels of personal control over the indoor environment, occupants’ behaviour is one of the key uncertainties in predicting energy use in the residential sector. With an aim to better understand residential adaptive thermal comfort behaviours, longitudinal field observations were conducted with smartphone surveys and simultaneous temperature measurements in a sample of Australian homes (n = 42). This paper derives statistical models to enable predicting of the percentage of adaptive strategies in use (e.g. operation of air-conditioners, heaters, fans and windows), as a function of temperature. The analysis on our Sydney sample indicated that an outdoor temperature of 25 °C was the most favourable condition, inclusive of all seasons investigated throughout the 2-year monitoring period, maximising the use of natural ventilation and simultaneously minimising the householders’ dependence on their home air-conditioning system. This study also revealed personal and demographic characteristics that can have a significant impact on the householder’s decision to use their air-conditioning system.

gocer, ozgur/0000-0002-3978-440X; Thomas, Leena/0000-0003-0707-9260; Candido, Christhina/0000-0002-1966-657X WOS:000487653800010 This paper reports the results from a dataset comprising 9794 post-occupancy evaluation (POE) surveys from 77 Australian open-plan offices. This paper specifically focuses on a sub-set of 20 offices (n = 2133), identified from ranking 10 offices each, with the least (n = 1063) and highest (n = 1070) satisfaction scores, respectively. The satisfaction scores were evaluated on the basis of seven factors (i.e., building/office aesthetics and quality, thermal comfort and indoor air quality, noise distraction and privacy, personal control, connection to outdoor environment, maintenance and visual comfort, and individual space). Using the POE survey data from 20 offices, regression analyses and two-way ANOVA tests were carried out to understand the differences in occupants' satisfaction and perceived productivity arising from open-plan offices. According to the statistically significant regression analyses results, it was identified that building/office aesthetics and quality (beta = 0.55, p < 0.001) and noise distraction and privacy (beta = 0.33, p < 0.001) were the two strongest predictors contributing perceived productivity in low-performance offices. Two-way ANOVA test results for the 10 high-performance offices indicate that the perceived productivity was strongly associated with the office's physical configuration, the employees' working experience, and the working hours at that office. University of Sydney's DVC Research Bridging Support Grant [G199771, G192167] This research was funded by the University of Sydney's DVC Research Bridging Support Grant (G199771) and Cachet Group (G192167).

© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Activity-based working (ABW) provides office workers with a variety of indoor workspaces purposively designed to accommodate different tasks. Despite an increased use of ABW, studies focusing on its impact and the resultant office design are yet to follow suit. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by providing empirical evidence from studies conducted before and after relocation from contemporary open-plan offices to ABW spaces. Results from post-occupancy evaluation (POE) surveys (n = 896 responses), spot measurements of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and step-count monitoring (one case study; n = 20 participants) before and after relocation are reported. A total of 10 workspaces participated (six combi and four ABW) in this study. Design features were documented and analyzed. While there were limited differences in the measured IEQ conditions between office layouts investigated here, ABW workspaces yielded significantly higher satisfaction results on key IEQ dimensions, perceived productivity and health. Office layout was also found as a significant (or nearly significant) predictor of occupants’ lightly active and sedentary time but did not affect occupants’ daily step counts and distance they travelled. These results highlight the significance and impact of office layout and human-centred approach to design on occupants’ satisfaction, perceived productivity and incidental physical activity opportunities.

The concept of non-territorial workplace has been adopted by a growing number of organisations. It is clear that the main driver for desk sharing practices is the tangible economic benefits guaranteed by reducing the amount of office space per person. However, the question of whether or not occupant comfort or productivity are compromised in the pursuit of space efficiency has never been investigated. This paper draws on a database from Australian building occupant survey to investigate how desk arrangements (whether or not one has a pre-allocated desk) can affect occupant satisfaction, self-reported productivity or health at workplaces. Our statistical model indicates a fall in occupant self-assessed productivity as spatial factors (such as the office layout allowing easiness of interaction with colleagues, the ability to adjust/personalise workspace, and the amount of storage space provided) perform below occupant expectations. Analysis of the results also show that the association of spatial factors with occupants' self-assessed productivity (quantified by odds ratios) was more pronounced among those in non-territorial workplaces, compared to those who are assigned with a pre-allocated desk. With respect to self-assessed health, the comfort of furnishing was identified as the strongest predictor for shared-desk users. Our findings suggest that these spatial factors, rather than the desk ownership itself, play a more significant role in the non-territorial work arrangement, affecting occupant attitude towards their building.

Direct load control (DLC) is a utility-sponsored demand response program which allows a utility to cycle specific appliances on and off during peak demand periods. Direct load control of air conditioners induces temperature cycles that might potentially compromise occupants' thermal comfort. In two separate experiments, 56 subjects' thermal comfort was closely examined during 6 DLC conditions and 2 control conditions simulated in a climate chamber, representing typical DLC-induced thermal environments in university lecture theatres. Results show that half of the DLC conditions were clearly accepted by subjects. Multilevel linear modelling of thermal sensation demonstrates that operative temperature, vapour pressure and the rate of temperature change are the three most important predictors during DLC events. Multilevel logistic regression indicates that in DLC conditions with lower adapting temperatures, thermal acceptability is significantly predicted by air speed and its interaction with operative temperature whereas in DLC conditions with higher adapting temperatures, by air speed, operative temperature and the rate of temperature change. Subjects' thermal comfort zone during DLC events is wider than predicted by Fanger's PMV/PPD model in that the former is more tolerant of cooler temperatures. Results from this study suggest that ASHRAE 55-2013 is overly conservative in defining the limits for temperature cycles, ramps and drifts.

Recognizing the value of open-source research databases in advancing the art and science of HVAC, in 2014 the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II project was launched under the leadership of University of California at Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment and The University of Sydney's Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Laboratory. The exercise began with a systematic collection and harmonization of raw data from the last two decades of thermal comfort field studies around the world. The ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II (Comfort Database), now an online, open-source database, includes approximately 81,846 complete sets of objective indoor climatic observations with accompanying ?right-here-right-now? subjective evaluations by the building occupants who were exposed to them. The database is intended to support diverse inquiries about thermal comfort in field settings. A simple web-based interface to the database enables filtering on multiple criteria, including building typology, occupancy type, subjects' demographic variables, subjective thermal comfort states, indoor thermal environmental criteria, calculated comfort indices, environmental control criteria and outdoor meteorological information. Furthermore, a web-based interactive thermal comfort visualization tool has been developed that allows end-users to quickly and interactively explore the data. The study was supported by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers grant ( URP 1656 ), 2016-2017 ASHRAE Graduate Grant-In-Aid for Veronika Fldvry Liina, British Council and UK Government under the Global Innovation Initiative project scheme, Korea National Science Foundation and the Center for the Built Environment, University of California Berkeley . Additional support was provided by the Republic of Singapore's National Research Foundation through a grant to the Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore (BEARS) for the Singapore-Berkeley Building Efficiency and Sustainability in the Tropics (SinBerBEST) Program. Scopus

This study assesses the user perception of the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) of workspaces by means of application of the BOSSA Time-Lapse System—developed by the University of Sydney and University of Technology, Sydney/Australia. It is a Building Occupancy Survey System Australian (BOSSA) tool, designed to assess the IEQ of workspaces by means of a questionnaire. Supporting the current Master Plan of the Armando Salles de Oliveira University Campus (CUASO), its buildings are being used as case studies for the development of BOSSA Brazil System. The first case study was conducted at the Laboratory of Environmental and Energy Studies (LABAUT), located at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Sao Paulo (FAUUSP). This study was conducted into two different stages. Stage 1, named BOSSA Time-Lapse Base Case, was comprised of 12 volunteers participating in a critical analysis, helping to: (1) understand the functionality of the BOSSA Time-Lapse System; (2) identify translation issues and inconsistency in the questions and, (3) adapt the BOSSA System, which was developed in Australia, to the Brazilian reality. Stage 2, named Second Application of BOSSA Time-Lapse questionnaire, was comprised of four different volunteers invited to respond to the questionnaire without any influence from the researchers. Stage 2 helped to: (1) evaluate the user satisfaction/dissatisfaction with his/her workspace; and, (2) analyze his/her relations with the environment and the building architecture, using the BOSSA Time-Lapse questionnaire. Results show that the translation issues should be reviewed, and that the building has a high level of satisfaction among its users. The dissatisfaction results show high levels of noise, lack of privacy and natural light in some workstations, mostly related to workspace layout. The questionnaire applied at stage 2 identified different results when it comes to satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction with environmental comfort issues. This analysis will contribute to the understanding of the BOSSA Time-Lapse questionnaire, and its application in office buildings in Brazil, as well as to analyze variables of the building IEQ. It will also help to understand the use and application of the BOSSA System methodology internationally.

© 2015 Taylor & Francis. Research findings point to three methodological shortcomings of current post-occupancy evaluation (POE) tools: (1) contextualizing results, (2) adding instrumental data side by side to survey results and (3) producing meaningful feedback to its key stakeholders. This paper introduces the holistic BOSSA (Building Occupants Survey System Australia) and tools developed under this project's scope in close collaboration with industry. It aims to present and discuss the statistical analysis used in the BOSSA tool, distilling the survey results down to nine indoor environmental quality (IEQ) dimensions and their association with four overall indices. Principal component analysis (PCA) extracted nine IEQ dimensions that were uncorrelated with each other: spatial comfort, indoor air quality, personal control, noise distraction and privacy, connection to the outdoor environment, building image and maintenance, individual space, thermal comfort, and visual comfort. Four separate multiple regression analyses were conducted, one for each global evaluation item as an independent variable: work area comfort, building satisfaction, productivity and health. This statistical analysis provided the rational basis of BOSSA's scoring system, designed to simplify how occupant survey results are communicated to key stakeholders from the property industry and researchers.

The principle of thermal alliesthesia indicates that the hedonic character of a thermal environment is determined as much by the general state of the subject as by the environment itself. An environmental stimulus that offsets or counters a thermoregulatory load error will be pleasantly perceived, and vice versa. Extant empirical evidence supporting thermal alliesthesia only exists for instances of core temperature deviation. Yet the reconciliation of alliesthesia with contemporary neurophysiological discourse (in the previous paper in this series) renders the concept directly relevant to everyday experiences in built environments where core temperature rarely deviates from neutral values. New experimental data are presented that explore alliesthesia in non-steady-state conditions across three different physiological states: thermoneutral; the upper and lower fringes of the thermoneutral zone; and mild excursions into the sweating and shivering regulatory zones. Thirteen human subjects evaluated the hedon...

This survey of thermal comfort in classrooms aimed to define empirically the preferred temperatures, neutral temperatures and acceptable temperature ranges for Australian school children, and to compare them with findings from adult populations. The survey was conducted in a mixture of air-conditioned, evaporative-cooled and naturally ventilated classrooms in nine schools located in three distinct subtropical climate zones during the summer of 2013. A total of 2850 questionnaires were collected from both primary (grade) and secondary (high) schools. An indoor operative temperature of about 22.5°C was found to be the students’ neutral and preferred temperature, which is generally cooler than expected for adults under the same thermal environmental conditions. Despite the lower-than-expected neutrality, the school children demonstrated considerable adaptability to indoor temperature variations, with one thermal sensation unit equating to approximately 4°C operative temperature. Working on the industry-accep...

Thermal insulation from clothing is one of the most important input variables used to predict the thermal comfort of a building's occupants. This paper investigates the clothing pattern in buildings with different configurations located in a temperate and humid climate in Brazil. Occupants of two kinds of buildings (three offices and two university classrooms) assessed their thermal environment through 'right-here-right-now' questionnaires, while at the same time indoor climatic measurements were carried out in situ (air temperature and radiant temperature, air speed and humidity). A total of 5,036 votes from 1,161 occupants were collected. Results suggest that the clothing values adopted by occupants inside buildings were influenced by: 1) climate and seasons of the year; 2) different configurations and indoor thermal conditions; and 3) occupants' age and gender. Significant intergenerational and gender differences were found, which might be explained by differences in metabolic rates and fashion. The results also indicate that there is a great opportunity to exceed the clothing interval of the thermal comfort zones proposed by international standards such as ASHRAE 55 (2013) - 0.5 to 1.0 clo - and thereby save energy from cooling and heating systems, without compromising the occupants' indoor thermal comfort. Resumo O isolamento térmico da vestimenta é uma das variáveis de entrada mais importantes utilizadas para prever o conforto térmico dos ocupantes dentro das edificações. Este artigo investiga padrões de vestimenta em edifícios com diferentes configurações localizados em um clima temperado e úmido brasileiro. Ocupantes de dois tipos de edifícios (três escritórios e duas salas de aula universitárias) avaliaram seu ambiente térmico através de questionários simultaneamente às medições microclimáticas internas in situ (temperatura do ar e radiante média, velocidade e umidade do ar). Um total de 5.036 votos provenientes de 1.161 ocupantes foram coletados. Os resultados encontrados sugerem que a vestimenta adotada pelos ocupantes nas edificações analisadas é influenciada por: 1) clima e pelas estações do ano; 2) configurações e condições térmicas internas; e 3) idade e gênero dos ocupantes. Diferenças significativas entre gerações e gêneros foram encontradas, o que provavelmente se explica pelas diferenças na taxa metabólica e moda local. Os resultados também indicaram que há uma grande oportunidade de exceder o intervalo de vestimenta determinado por normas internacionais como a ASHRAE 55 (2013) de 0,5 a 1,0 clo para as zonas de conforto térmico, impactando positivamente no dispêndio de energia voltada ao resfriamento e aquecimento artificial, sem, no entanto, comprometer o conforto térmico dos seus ocupantes em espaços internos.

Climate change and the urgency of decarbonizing the built environment are driving technological innovation in the way we deliver thermal comfort to occupants. These changes, in turn, seem to be setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research. This article presents a literature review of major changes, developments, and trends in the field of thermal comfort research over the last 20 years. One of the main paradigm shift was the fundamental conceptual reorientation that has taken place in thermal comfort thinking over the last 20 years; a shift away from the physically based determinism of Fanger’s comfort model toward the mainstream and acceptance of the adaptive comfort model. Another noticeable shift has been from the undesirable toward the desirable qualities of air movement. Additionally, sophisticated models covering the physics and physiology of the human body were developed, driven by the continuous challenge to model thermal comfort at the same anatomical resolution and to combine these localized signals into a coherent, global thermal perception. Finally, the demand for ever increasing building energy efficiency is pushing technological innovation in the way we deliver comfortable indoor environments. These trends, in turn, continue setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research for the next decades.

The most recent review of the ASHRAE Standard 55 (2010) incorporates the dialectic between static and adaptive approaches to thermal comfort by proposing different recommendations for airconditioned and naturally ventilated buildings. Particularly in naturally ventilated buildings, this standard aligns with three important topics in research field of thermal comfort during the last decades: (i) air movement enhancement versus draft, (ii) control availability and its impact on occupants' satisfaction, and (iii) the search for thermal pleasure. This paper presents the rationale behind these three research topics and discusses its positive influence when moving from thermal comfort towards thermal pleasure. A mais recente revisão da ASHRAE 55 (2010) incorpora a dialética entre as abordagens estática e adaptativa de conforto térmico, propondo recomendações diferentes para edificações com ar-condicionado e naturalmente ventilados. Especialmente em ambientes naturalmente ventilados, esta versão da norma reflete três tópicos importantes de pesquisa na área de conforto térmico, presentes nas últimas décadas: (i) incremento do movimento do ar versus desconforto por correntes, (ii) a necessidade de mecanismos de controle ambiental e seu impacto na satisfação dos ocupantes e (iii) a busca de deleite térmico no ambiente construído. Este artigo apresenta a lógica por trás desses três tópicos de pesquisa e discute a influência positiva das mesmas, ao se ampliar a interpretação de conforto para deleite térmico.

Este trabalho discute os limites dados para a velocidade do ar pelas normas ASHRAE 55 (2004) e ISO 7730 (2005). Para tal, realizou-se uma análise comparativa entre os valores-limite para a velocidade do ar definidos por essas normas e as respostas dos usuários em relação à preferência e aceitabilidade do movimento do ar obtidas em experimentos de campo realizados em Maceió/AL. Resultados indicam que ambas as normas especificam valores para a velocidade do ar inferiores aos desejados pelos usuários. Os resultados da preferência do movimento do ar indicam que significativa percentagem dos usuários demanda "maior movimento do ar". Quando associada às respostas da aceitabilidade do movimento do ar, a insatisfação dos usuários ficou mais evidente, assim como a demanda por maior velocidade do ar. O mesmo movimento de ar, considerado como inaceitável em climas frios e temperados, é desejado pelos usuários em climas úmidos. Nesse contexto, a aplicabilidade de limites máximos para a velocidade do ar provenientes de estudos com características climáticas diferentes deve ser evitada. Tais limites devem vir de resultados de experimentos de campo em ambientes naturalmente ventilados, onde os usuários possam utilizar de oportunidades adaptativas para reestabelecer o conforto térmico. Futuras normas brasileiras devem focar em tais questões, visando limites de velocidade que correspondam à expectativa dos usuários em climas quentes e úmidos. This article discusses the air velocity limits established by ASHRAE 55 (2004) and ISO 7730 (2005). A comparative analysis was developed between those air velocity limits and users' answers for air movement preferences and acceptability, obtained in field experiments carried out in the city of Maceio, Alagoas, Brazil. The results suggest that the air velocity limits specified by those standards are lower than those required by users. The results indicate that a significant percentage of users demand "more air movement". When those results were combined with the answers on air movement acceptability, the number of unsatisfied users increased, as well as the demand for higher air velocity levels. The same air movement that is considered unacceptable in cold or temperate climates is desirable in hot-humid climates. Therefore the application of maximum air velocity limits from studies carried out in a climate that has different characteristics should be avoided. Air velocity limits should be defined based on field experiments in naturally ventilated indoor environments where adaptive opportunities are available in order to re-establish users' thermal comfort. Future standards in Brazil should consider these issues, in order to establish air velocity limits that can meet users expectations in hot-humid climates.