Holistic indoor environmental quality assessment as a driver in early building design

Abstract

Research and practice agree that decisions taken early in a project have a higher impact and are less costly. Current building performance assessment methods are not suited to accommodate the responsiveness required for early design processes and are often used for validation in the later stages where the feedback has little design impact. Tools developed specifically for early stage Design Decision Support (DDS) are either too simplistic, provide no solution to addressing combined indoor environmental quality (IEQ), or risk worsening the overall IEQ by optimizing performance indicators in isolation. Most comprehensive building assessment methods evaluate several topics but follow a linear approach which fails to support holistic performance feedback and fails to meet the demand for assessment speed.This paper presents application examples of a holistic IEQ assessment tool (IEQCompass) in design processes. Design experiments demonstrate that the applied approach can meet the challenges of early stage DDS pointed out in existing literature. Findings from the experiments indicate that the IEQCompass can provide: (1) seamless early-stage assessments through rapid-feedback on changing designs, (2) timely decision support by guiding design teams with criteria overviews, design comparisons and holistic assessment results, and (3) dialogue and communication support between architects, engineers and clients.

Enablers of incorporating indoor environmental quality (IEQ) principles into buildings

“…However, in designing quality IE, keen consideration is given to the lighting, ventilation, orientation and energy consumption of the building and would thus require the expertise and opinions of the services engineer at the conceptualisation stage of the project (Olanipekun et al , 2018). This is in stark contrast to the traditional building method, where the services engineer is only introduced at the final stage of the design and is mandated to provide lighting, heating and cooling systems to the almost complete building (Rohde et al , 2020).…”

The Comfort Tool: Assessment and Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Universal Design in Home Renovations

“…Kim and de Dear (2012) show that the relationship is not linear. A wide variety of assessment models have been developed (Heinzerling et al, 2013) which most recently aim for "holistic" assessments of IEQ (Leccese et al, 2021;Rohde et al, 2020). However, despite the name, the holistic IEQ assessment methods are, by their nature, confined to the four main parameters of IEQ-light, air quality, acoustics, and thermal comfort-thus not addressing other (universal) design-related aspects that can contribute to perceived comfort in buildings.…”

The Sustainable Aspect of Safety in Architectural Early Design: An Introduction to Prevention through Design (PtD) Concept

“…Hence, DOSH (2019) suggested that these hazards can be avoided by planning construction sites in a secure location with no potential noise hazards. In addition, acoustic comfort can be improved through sound insulation of partition walls, ceiling panels and floor separation during the design phase (Rohde et al, 2021). According to Stavridou (2015), thermal comfort can contribute to an individual's health and well-being by creating a pleasant living environment.…”

“…UBBL (2006) stated that each room must have natural lighting and ventilation provided by windows and unobstructed air flow to assist in accomplishing this. Rohde et al (2021) also suggested that exterior sun shading, suspended ceilings, load-bearing construction, and mechanical ventilation could also improve thermal comfort and reduce heat loss.…”