Center for the Built Environment

In this study the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of an energy efficient 9400 m2 Italian office building was investigated using an Italian-language version of the Center for the Built Environment’s web-based survey. This survey allows the building’s IEQ performance to be compared against a large database of previously surveyed buildings. In addition, it permits the specific causes of dissatisfaction to be identified. The study building was compared with 66 buildings having LEED certification. The analyzed building obtained scores higher than the median of the 66 LEED buildings in the categories: acoustic quality, thermal comfort, general satisfaction, air quality and office furnishings, and lower than the median in: cleanliness and maintenance, office layout and lighting. The subcategories: visual and acoustic privacy scored low. For these, layout and operational interventions were proposed. The building survey showed that high simulated energy efficiency and high measured IEQ can be accomplished simultaneously.