Despite a paucity of rigorous scientific evidence causally linking Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) issues to office occupants’ productivity, there is a widespread belief that such causality exists; excellent or poor IEQ translate into productivity gains or losses respectively. The aim of this study is to better understand relationship between perceived building performance on specific IEQ factors and occupants’ overall satisfaction with their workspace. Kano’s satisfaction model, developed originally in the context of marketing, is adapted and tested for its suitability in the context of building occupants’ satisfaction. Analyses were conducted on the occupant survey database from Center for the Built Environment (CBE) to estimate individual impacts of 15 IEQ factors on occupants’ overall satisfaction, depending on the building’s performance in relation to those IEQ factors. These empirical analyses identified nonlinearities

between some IEQ factors and occupant satisfaction; some IEQ factors had a predominantly negative impact on occupants’ overall satisfaction when the building underperformed. These have been labelled Basic Factors in the Kano Model of satisfaction and include ‘temperature’, ‘noise level’, ‘amount of space’, ‘visual privacy’, ‘adjustability of furniture’, ‘colours & textures’ and ‘workspace cleanliness’. Other IEQ factors had a predominantly linear relationship with overall satisfaction e increments or decrements of equal magnitude in the building’s performance on these factors lead to a broadly similar magnitude of enhancement or diminution of occupants’ overall satisfaction. These were labelled Proportional Factors, and include ‘air quality’, ‘amount of light’, ‘visual comfort’, ‘sound privacy’, ‘ease of interaction’, ‘comfort of furnishing’, ‘building cleanliness’ and ‘building maintenance’.

This paper presents the main findings of ASHRAE research project RP-702, a field investigation of indoor climates and occupant comfort in 12 air-conditioned office buildings in Townsville, located in Australia’s tropical north. The project replicates an earlier ASHRAE investigation in San Francisco (RP-462). A total of 836 subjects provided 1,2.74 sets of questionnaire responses, each accompanied by a ,full set of physical indoor climatic measurements ,from laboratory-grade instrumentation. Clothing insulation estimates for seated subjects included the incremental effect of chairs. Thermal environmental results are compared with ASHRAE Standard .55-1992 prescriptions. Thermal neutrality, preference, and acceptability results are compared with laboratory-based models and standards. Gender and seasonal effects were minor, and many of the differences from the earlier San Francisco data were explicable in terms of clothing patterns. Most of the thermal dissatisfaction expressed within the Standard 55 comfort zone was associated with requests, for higher air velocity.

Recently accepted revisions to ASHRAE Standard 55—thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy, include a new adaptive comfort standard (ACS) that allows warmer indoor temperatures for naturally ventilated buildings during summer and in warmer climate zones. The ACS is based on the analysis of 21,000 sets of raw data compiled from field studies in 160 buildings located on four continents in varied climatic zones. This paper summarizes this earlier adaptive comfort research, presents some of its findings for naturally ventilated buildings, and discusses the process of getting the ACS incorporated into Standard 55. We suggest ways the ACS could be used for the design, operation, or evaluation of buildings, and for research applications. We also use GIS mapping techniques to examine the energy-savings potential of the ACS on a regional scale across the US. Finally, we discuss related new directions for researchers and practitioners involved in the design of buildings and their environmental control systems. 

The main purpose of this paper is to summarise the key findings of ASHRAE research project RP-702, a field investigation of indoor climates and occupant comfort in 12 air conditioned office buildings in Townsville, located in Australia's tropical north. The project replicates an earlier ASHRAE investigation in San Francisco (RP-462), the main purpose being to field-validate the ASHRAE comfort chart (Standard 55) in a tropical setting.

The main purpose of this paper is to summarise the key findings of ASHRAE research project RP-702, a field investigation of indoor climates and occupant comfort in 12 air conditioned office buildings in Townsville, located in Australia's tropical north. The project replicates an earlier ASHRAE investigation in San Francisco (RP-462), the main purpose being to field-validate the ASHRAE comfort chart (Standard 55) in a tropical setting.

A total of 836 subjects provided 1234 sets of questionnaire responses, each being accompanied by a full set of physical indoor climatic measurements from laboratory-grade instrumentation. In addition to the physical measurements were detailed estimates of each building occupant's metabolism and clothing insulation.

The physical environmental results are compared with ASHRAE Standard 55-1992 prescriptions and the subjective data on thermal acceptability are compared with laboratory-based comfort models and standards. Gender and seasonal effects were minor and many of the differences from earlier San Francisco results were explicable in terms of clothing patterns. Most of the thermal dissatisfaction expressed within Standard 55's comofrt zone in Townsville office buildings was associated with requests for higher air velocities.

This paper discusses reassessment of indoor climate control in the context of current thermal comfort practice and research. We review the limitations of comfort models and standards with several examples. We examine how people's thermal sensation and preferences may be influenced by culture and climate and associated issues of thermal expectations and adaptation. Finally, we discuss how incorporating these factors into future comfort standards might yield more 'effective' indoor climate control.