Optimised Office Environments

Thermal Comfort

Air temperature and relative humidity are often classed together as thermal comfort. Predicting an optimal range of air temperature and humidity is challenging, but important to control energy consumption, and increase workplace efficiency and performance.

An occupant’s thermal comfort i.e. sensation of warmth often depends on personal and environmental factors.

Environmental factors

• air temperature
• mean radiant temperature
• relative air speed (ventilation)
  humidity.
   

Personal factors

• metabolic heat production
• clothing
• local discomforts (warm or cold) such as draughts, cold or warm floors and asymmetric thermal radiation
   

Carbon dioxide

Building occupants produce Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as a by-product of respiration. With insufficient outdoor air, CO2 concentrations can rise rapidly. CO2 levels has long been used as an indicator of general ventilation performance in buildings. If CO2 concentrations are high, this indicates that other airborne contaminants (such as VOCs released from furniture and fittings) are also likely to be high.

The impact of high CO2 concentrations has been studied in detail. It has consistently been shown that CO2 concentration directly correlates with cognitive performance. This is reflected in strict CO2 limits in new school classrooms in the UK, for example. As a rule of thumb, a typical, well designed commercial office in the UK would not expect to exceed 1000ppm under normal circumstances.

Sound

In a recent global workplace review, noise levels were found to be one of the key drivers influencing productivity, enjoyment and pride in the workplace. Therefore, ensuring the sound is at an acceptable level — especially in open plan offices — is critical to maximise employee’s performance indoors. Often, it’s not a constant sound level that causes distraction — even if louder than the recommended range — rather, its variations and peaks greater than the average background level of sound.

Volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. They include a variety of chemicals, and are emitted by a wide range of products, including; building materials and furnishings, paints, varnishes, adhesives, aerosols, cleaning products, cosmetics, and others. These products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored. As a result, concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.

Health effects of exposure to high concentrations of VOCs may include eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment. As with other pollutants, the extent and nature of the health effect will depend on many factors including pollutant concentration at exposure and length of time exposed.

 

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