Green certification schemes, such as LEED in US and BREEAM in UK, are contributing to promote thesustainability agenda in the design and operation of office buildings. However, the role of rating tools towardsimproved workplace experience is still much debated. Previous work by the authors provided evidence that LEEDrating per se does not significantly and substantively influence occupant satisfaction with indoor environmentqualities, although tendencies showed that LEED-certified buildings were more effective in delivering satisfaction inopen spaces rather than in enclosed offices, and in small rather than in large buildings. This paper investigatesoccupant satisfaction in BREEAM-rated office buildings in UK. User responses were collected by cross-sectionalquestionnaires and point-in-time surveys administered while physical measurements were taken. Consistent withearlier work, the results showed that BREEAM certification does not have a significant and practically-relevant effecton building and workspace satisfaction, although tendencies revealed that occupants of non-BREEAM buildings weremore satisfied with visual privacy and air quality than users of BREEAM-rated workspaces. Lower satisfaction wasdetected in BREEAM buildings for occupants having spent more than 24 months at their workplace. These resultssupport previous findings, suggesting further research on the sustained benefits of green certification over time.

This paper presents preliminary analysis of occupant satisfaction with indoor environmental quality in BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) and non-BREEAM certified offices in the UK. Results from cross-sectional questionnaires (N = 121) showed that BREEAM certification per se did not seem to substantively influence building and workspace satisfaction. Conversely, occupants of BREEAM offices tended to be less satisfied with air quality and visual privacy than users of non-BREEAM buildings. Lower satisfaction was also detected in BREEAM offices for occupants having spent over 24 months in their building, and for users working in open-plan spaces. To interpret these findings, a methodology for data analysis was adopted whereas responses to point-in-time surveys (N = 82) were paired with environmental measurements. Broadening the perspective for appraising occupants’ perceptions, these combined techniques led to conclude that certification schemes should balance criteria addressing energy performance with design solutions considerate of issues of privacy, proxemics and perceived control over the qualities of the indoor environment.