To what extent can the urgency of climate change and an evolving concept of agency (at the individual and social levels of building users) create a new context for rethinking the notion of comfort? A new, emerging notion of comfort is explored that embraces engagement with new conditions, new experiences, and new types of interactions between inhabitants and building systems and unfamiliar technologies. The emphasis is on communication and dialogue as two dynamic and adaptive processes necessary to achieve optimal building performance while valuing and responding to inhabitant knowledge and agency, and enhancing indoor environmental quality from the standpoint of the inhabitants. A primary conclusion is that the goal of shifting into a lower carbon society has created a new context for comfort, from its conventional emphasis as automated, uniform and predictable, to a broader notion that takes into consideration dynamic, integrated, and participatory aspects. The key dimensions of this emergent broader view of comfort are examined and the relationships between them revealed.
What influence does 'knowledge' exert on occupant behaviour and comfort? What is the nature of the gap between the assumed and the actual behaviour of occupants in green buildings? To address these questions, two buildingsone conventional and the other green -located at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, Canadaare examined. Results from a comparative post-occupancy evaluation show that while the availability and use of personal controls was higher in the green building, the quality of personal control in terms of responsiveness, the absence of immediate and relevant feedback, and poor user comprehension may have led to sub-optimal comfort conditions. The findings suggest a desire on the part of users to learn more about how buildings work and comfort is provided, with a higher interest level in the green building over the conventionally designed. However, the relationship between knowledge, personal controls, and comfort was found to be more complex. While knowledge of the building was positively related to use of personal control in the green building, neither knowledge nor personal control use resulted in higher overall perceived comfort.Quelle influence les « connaissances » exercent-elles sur le comportement et le confort des occupants ? Quelle est la nature de l'écart existant entre le comportement supposé et le comportement réel des occupants dans les bâ timents verts ? Pour aborder ces questions, deux bâ timents -l'un classique et l'autre vert -situés sur l'Université de Colombie Britannique à Vancouver, CB, au Canada, ont été étudiés. Les résultats d'une évaluation comparative après occupation des lieux montrent que, alors qu'il y avait une plus grande disponibilité et utilisation des commandes individuelles dans le bâ timent vert, la qualité des commandes individuelles en termes de réactivité, l'absence de feedback immédiat et pertinent, et une mauvaise compréhension de la part des utilisateurs peuvent avoir conduit à des conditions de confort suboptimales. Les conclusions suggèrent un désir de la part des utilisateurs d'en apprendre davantage sur la manière dont les bâ timents fonctionnent et dont le confort est assuré, avec un niveau d'intérêt plus important dans le bâ timent vert que dans celui de conception classique. Néanmoins, il a été constaté que les relations entre les connaissances, les commandes individuelles et le confort étaient d'une plus grande complexité. Alors que les connaissances relatives au bâ timent étaient positivement liées à l'utilisation des commandes individuelles dans le bâ timent vert, ni les connaissances, ni l'utilisation des commandes individuelles n'ont entraîné la perception d'un plus grand confort global.
Purpose-This paper aims to explore the relationship between green building design and workplace design practice, and to examine the role of organizational culture in shaping design and operation decisions with consequence for user experience. Design/methodology/approach-A literature review and introduction of key concepts establish the foundation for the research and provide a context for interpreting results. Empirical findings are presented from a pre-and post-occupancy evaluation of a company's move to a new headquarters building designed both to shift organizational culture and to meet environmental objectives. Findings-The paper demonstrates that, while there are potentially significant gains to be made from integrating green building with workplace design strategies from the outset, there are many other factors beyond the quality of the space, which may play a role in shaping user experience. Links are drawn between improved occupant comfort, health and productivity in the new headquarters building, and organizational culture and contextual factors accompanying the move. The findings raise a number of important questions and considerations for organizational and workplace research, and post-occupancy evaluation of buildings. Research limitations/implications-The research and findings focus on the experience and context of one company's move to a new headquarters building and cannot be extrapolated. Given the mainstreaming and merging of green building design with workplace design practice, more research and studies are needed to advance this important line of inquiry. Originality/value-The paper brings together the two agendas of workplace design and green building design, which have until very recently progressed along separate paths.
in Québec City, Canada, was themed 'Architecture, Energy and the Occupant's Perspective', with the ambition of positioning building inhabitants as key 'active' determinants of energy performance in 'passive' design through adaptive opportunities. Conference delegates committed to a Manifesto that embodied both the key longstanding priorities of PLEA and explicitly conveyed the priorities of the conference hosts. The Manifesto is examined in terms of how it captures and represents a shift in thinking that has occurred over the past few years, away from technological and technocratic solutions to comfort provisioning and towards reframing building energy consumption as a social and ethical challenge in which comfort plays a key role.
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