SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN BUILDING SERVICES I

(BLD6043107830) TOPIC: INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN HEALTHCARE/OFFICE N LECTURER: MISS LIM TZE SHWAN

Prepared by:

Name Student IDTan kiah chun 0324414Tan zhao ming 0318724Kong zhen chung 0319528Yong sing yew 0318766Darren long chi yoong 0318029Than lek mei 0315538

CONTENTS PAGES

Introduction 1

Installation Process 2-12

Management System 13-18

Advantages & Disadvantages 19

Possible Problems To The System &Recommendation For Future Improvement

20-21

Case Study 22-23

Learning Outcome 24

References 25-26

INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN HEALTHCARE/OFFICE

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) refers to the quality of a building’s environment in

relation to the health and wellbeing of those who occupy space within it. IEQ is

determined by many factors, including lighting, air quality, and damp conditions.

Workers are often concerned that they have symptoms or health conditions from

exposures to contaminants in the buildings where they work. One reason for this

concern is that their symptoms often get better when they are not in the building.

While research has shown that some respiratory symptoms and illnesses can be

associated with damp buildings, it is still unclear what measurements of indoor

contaminants show that workers are at risk for disease. In most instances where a

worker and his or her physician suspect that the building environment is causing a

specific health condition, the information available from medical tests and tests of the

environment is not sufficient to establish which contaminants are responsible.

Despite uncertainty about what to measure and how to interpret what is measured,

research shows that building-related symptoms are associated with building

characteristics, including dampness, cleanliness, and ventilation characteristics.

Indoor environments are highly complex and building occupants may be exposed to

a variety of contaminants (in the form of gases and particles) from office machines,

cleaning products, construction activities, carpets and furnishings, perfumes,

cigarette smoke, water-damaged building materials, microbial growth (fungal, mold,

and bacterial), insects, and outdoor pollutants. Other factors such as indoor

temperatures, relative humidity, and ventilation levels can also affect how individuals

respond to the indoor environment.

Understanding the sources of indoor environmental contaminants and controlling

them can often help prevent or resolve building-related worker symptoms. Practical

guidance for improving and maintaining the indoor environment is available.

Workers who have persistent or worsening symptoms should seek medical

evaluation to establish a diagnosis and obtain recommendations for treatment of their

condition.

Installation processSplit air conditioners are the commonly used ventilation system in office because

there are comparatively cheap and easy to install.

The installation of the split air conditioners is the most important and crucial part. If it

is done properly your air conditioner will give you optimum performance, but if it is not

done properly you won't get the desired cooling effect and there may be frequent

maintenance problems. Most people hire a professional to install a split system air

conditioner. However, if you have some experience with plumbing and electrical

work, you can install the unit on your own. Each split system or ductless air

conditioner is unique to its manufacturer, the below article will explains the general

instructions for installing a split system air conditioner.

Method 1 of 3: Install the Indoor Unit

1.Select an unobstructed location on your interior wall to mount the indoor air conditioning unit.

Avoid direct sunlight and heat sources.

Avoid locations where gas may leak or where oil mist or sulphur exists.

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The indoor unit requires at least 6" (15 cm) of open space surrounding its top

and sides. The unit should also be mounted at least 7 feet (2.13 m) above the

ground.

Install the unit at least 3.3 feet (1 m) away from antenna, power or connecting

lines that are used for television, radio, home security systems, intercoms or

telephones. The electrical noise from these sources could cause operational

problems for your air conditioner.

The wall should be strong enough to hold the unit's weight. You may need to

construct a wood or metal frame to provide added support.

2.Secure the mounting plate to the interior wall.

Hold the mounting plate against the wall where you want to install the indoor

unit.

Use a level to make sure the plate is both horizontally and vertically square.

Drill holes into the wall at the appropriate spots to affix the plate to the wall.

Insert plastic anchors into the holes. Secure the plate to the wall with tapping

screws.

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3.Create a hole in the wall to fit the piping.

Find the best spot for the hole to the exterior based on the opening in the

mounting bracket. You should also consider the length of the pipe and the

distance that it needs to travel to reach the outside unit.

Drill a hole that is 3" (7.5 cm) in diameter through the wall. The hole should

slope downward toward the exterior to ensure adequate drainage.

Insert a flexible flange into the hole.

4.Check the electrical connections.

Lift the unit’s front panel and remove the cover.

Be sure the cable wires are connected to the screw terminals. Also, make

sure that they match the diagram that comes with the unit.

5.Connect the pipes.

Run the piping from the indoor unit toward the hole drilled through the wall.

Minimize bending to ensure that the unit performs well.

Cut a length of PVC pipe 1/4" (6 millimeters) shorter than the length between

your interior and exterior wall surfaces.

Place the pipe cap on the interior end of the PVC pipe. Insert the pipe into the

hole in the wall.

Bind the copper pipes, the power cables and the drain pipe together with

electrical tape. Place the drain pipe on the bottom to ensure a free flow of

water.

Secure the pipe to the indoor unit. Use 2 wrenches, working in opposite

directions, to tighten the connection.

Join the water drainage pipe to the indoor unit’s base.

Run the bound pipes and cables through the hole in the wall. Make sure that

the drainage pipe allows water to drain in an appropriate place.

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6Secure the indoor unit to the mounting plate by pressing the unit against the mounting plate.

Method 2 of 3: Install the Outdoor Condenser

1.Choose the best place to install the outdoor unit.

The outdoor unit’s location needs to be away from any heavily trafficked or

hot areas.

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The outdoor unit needs 12" of space surrounding its perimeter to ensure

proper functioning.

2.Lay the concrete pad on the ground and make sure that it is level. The pad should be high enough so that the condenser will sit above the level of

winter snows.

Set the outdoor condenser on top of the pad. Use rubber cushioning under

the unit's feet to minimize vibration.

Make sure that no antenna of a radio or television is within 10 feet (3 meters)

of the outdoor condenser.

3.Connect the electrical wires.

Remove the cover.

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Refer to the unit’s wiring diagram and make sure the cable wires are

connected as the diagram suggests. Following the manufacturer's instructions

for wiring is crucial.

Fasten the cables with a cable clamp and replace the cover.

4.Secure the pipes’ flare nuts to the corresponding pipes on the outdoor unit.

Method 3 of 3: Complete the Split System Air Conditioner Installation 7

1.Bleed the air and humidity from the refrigerant circuit.

Remove the caps from the 2-way and 3-way valves and from the service port.

Connect a vacuum pump hose to the service port.

Turn the vacuum on until it reaches an absolute vacuum of 10mm Hg.

Close the low pressure knob and then turn off the vacuum.

Test all of the valves and joints for leaks.

Disconnect the vacuum. Replace the service port and caps.

2.Wrap the joints of the piping with insulating covering and insulating tape.

3.Affix the piping to the wall with clamps.

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4.Seal up the hole in the wall using expanding polyurethane foam.

Installation Challenges

Coordinating the design and installation of TDDs with other trades, including

structural, mechanical & electrical trades and interiors, works best early in the design

process. Need to identify potential conflicts in new construction, but unknown

conditions in walls and chaseways can make retrofits difficult.

To ensure the integrity and warranty of the roofing system, the general contractor

and roofing contractor should work together to tie the TDD flashing into the roof’s

waterproofing system. Proper installation of manufacturer-supplied flashing systems

and details can reduce the risk of water infiltration.

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Tubular daylighting devices provide astounding control of daylight from collection to

diffusion. Though manufacturers are continually finessing their products, TDDs have

made great strides in the quest to bring the outdoors inside.

Tubular daylighting device (TDD) are devices that you can use to get natural light into

rooms that don't have access to windows or traditional skylights. They do this by

collecting sunlight on the roof and channeling it through a highly-reflective tube into

the room below. This daylighting solution is perfect for dark hallways, bathrooms, and

kitchens.

How to Install a Tubular Skylight

There are six steps to installing your solar tube...

Choose the Right Location

Cut Out Ceiling and Roof Holes

Install the Flashing

Install the Tube

Install the Dome

Install the Diffuser

Choose the Right Location

Choosing the right location to install your skylight will go a long way in avoiding any

potential installation problems and providing a better final result.

Some key points to keep in mind...

Choose a spot between ceiling joists and roof rafters (you want to avoiding

cutting into your homes structural elements)

Although elbow joints are available, for easier installation and higher light

output, choose a location that will allow a straight run from the ceiling to the

roof

Make sure there are no electrical wires or other obstructions where you plan

to install the skylight

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Cut Out Ceiling and Roof Holes

Once you've finalized the location for your skylight, it's time to cut the holes in the

ceiling and the roof.

From inside your room, push a nail through the ceiling at the center of where

the diffuser will be

From the attic, use a plumb line to find the spot directly above the nail that

you pushed through the ceiling and drill a hole through the spot in the roof

From inside your room, using a template or the ceiling ring, scribe a circle in

the ceiling and cut out that portion using a drywall saw

Install the ceiling ring

From your roof, use a template or the flashing to scribe a circle centered on

the hole you drilled earlier

From your roof, use a reciprocating saw to cut out the section of the roof that

you marked

Install the Flashing

Now that the roof hole is cut, you will need to install the flashing.

Remove or cut any roofing nails from underneath the shingles around the top

half of the hole

Prepare the flashing for installation by caulking the underside of the flashing

Insert the flashing underneath the shingles and tar paper at the slits you cut

earlier, pushing it up until the shingles come in contact with the raised portion

of the flashing

Secure the flashing with the screws provided in the installation kit

Install the Tube

Once the flashing is installed, you're ready to build and install the tube.

Measure the distance from the top of the flashing to the ceiling to determine

how much tubing you will need

Assemble the length of tubing needed

Remove the protective film from inside the tubing

Insert the pipe through the flashing until it is even with the ceiling ring

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Secure the tube to the ceiling ring and flashing with the screws provided in

the installation kit

Remove any excess tubing sticking out of the flashing by cutting it off using

tin snips

Install the Dome

Attach the dome to the flashing using the screws provided in the installation kit.

Install the Diffuser

Attach the diffuser and trim ring to the ceiling ring.

These are the general steps for installing a tubular skylight.

INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (IEQ) ENHANCEMENT SYSTEMS

1. Air Conditioner

Air conditioner, or 'AC' in short, is a device to alter the properties of air, primarily

temperature and humidity to a more comfortable condition. An air conditioner is

considered as mechanical ventilation. Generally in construction terms, an air

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conditoner is referred to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), as

opposed to the term 'AC'. The main function of an air conditioner is to distribute

conditioned air within an enclosed space to improve thermal comfort. An air

conditoner is commonly used to lower the air temperature of an enclosed space.

Most of the offices today have air conditioners installed in them. This is because

most offices these days are high rised buildings and since the wind speed increases

significally with altitude, natural ventilation is impractical for tall buildings. Therefore,

installing air conditioners can overcome the ventilation problem. An air conditioner

doesn't just provide a comfortable temperature in an enclosed space, but it also can

control the humidity of the space. Since humans perspire to provide natural cooling

by the evaporation of perspiration from the skin, drier air improves the comfort

provided. The comfort air conditioner is designed to to create 50% to 60% relative

humidity in the occupied space.

It is very important the commercial buildings such as offices are provided with the

appropriate type and size of HVAC system. If the HVAC system is not appropriate, it

will not be able to keep the space cool and hence it will lower workers' productivity

and customers and employees will feel uncomfortable. If the selected HVAC system

is too large, it may allow uncomforatble humidity to build up, making the air feel

clammy. There are six types of air conditioning systems that are available in the

market with its distinct functions and the way it works. The six types of air

conditioning systems are:

Cooling Only Split-System

Cooling Only Packaged-System

Heat Pump

Chilled Water System

Window Air Conditioners

Packaged Terminal Heat Pump

An air conditioner works by pulling heat out of indoor air regardless of the size and

height of the building. Generally, this is done by running a coolant or refrigerant

through an HVAC system that includes a compressor, a condensor and an

evaporator. As the coolant moves through the system, it is compressed from a gas to

a liquid, cooled, and then converted back to a gas, pulling heat from the air at the

same time. Other parts of the system move the cooled air through the entire building

via ducts, blowers and fans.

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Using the principles of expansion and compression of gas and liquid, there are

different ways to cool commercial buildings depending on the climate, size of the

space to be cooled and the age and type of the building.

There are three main parts of a conventional HVAC system for office buildings,

namely the refrigerants and cooling towers, compressors and air handlers/fan coils.

Refrigerants and Cooling TowerMany large buildings have cooling towers that work in conjunction with the cooling

system. It is common to use both a chemical refrigerant as a coolant that evaporates

and also chilled water to lower the temperature of the coolant.

CompressorsRefrigerant enters the air conditioner’s compressor in the form of a cool gas, where it

is compressed to a hot gas, and then moved over a series of coils that condense the

gas to a liquid while dissipating the collected heat into the outside air. The cooler

liquid is then forced through a small opening into another set of coils where it draws

heat out of the air as it evaporates. Fans blow this cooler air into the room as the

refrigerant, again a liquid, begins the loop again.

Diagram 1.1: An engineering drawing showing how an HVAC system works.

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Air Handlers/Fan CoilsAir Handlers are key to the commercial HVAC system because they are the device

that

moves the cooled air throughout the building. This is accomplished by fans pushing

the air through a series of ducts inside the walls, ceilings and floors. An efficient air

handler will move significant amounts of air quickly throughout the building.

2. Daylighting System

A daylighting system is a system used to allow natural daylight into a building. This

system is very simple, as it only requires several openings with windows or glass

panels in order to allow light to penetrate into the building. The term 'daylight' refers

to ‘sunlight’; hence the purpose of the daylighting system is to allow sunlight to enter

the building. Daylighting helps to create a visually stimulating and productive

environment for building occupants, while reducing as much as one-third of total

building energy costs, as it helps to save electricity. Daylighting can be used to

substitute electrical lighting during the day, which makes it very useful to be installed

Diagram 1.2: A detailed diagram on how an HVAC system works in a commercial building, showing the section of a building.

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in commercial buildings such as offices. Therefore, daylighting is a good way to

improve indoor environmental quality in offices.

A daylighting system doesn't just comprise of daylight apertures, such as skylights

and windows, but is coupled with a daylight-responsive lighting control system. In

order to create an effective daylighting system, the location of the windows or skylight

in the building must be designed in such a way as to avoid the admittance of direct

sun on task surfaces or into occupants' eyes. Alternatively, suitable glare remediation

devices such as blinds or shades must be made available.

A daylighting system consists of systems, technologies, and architecture. While not

all of these components are required for everyday daylighting system or design, one

or more of the following are typically present:

Daylight-optimized building footprint

Climate-responsive window-to-wall area ratio

High-performance glazing

Daylighting-optimized fenestration design

Skylights (passive or active)

Tubular daylight devices

Daylight redirection devices

Solar shading devices

Daylight-responsive electric lighting controls

Daylight-optimized interior design (such as furniture design, space planning,

and room surface finishes).

Most commercial buildings today are

using tubular Diagram 2.1: A cross-sectional area showing light penetrating through a tubular daylighting device

Diagram 2.2: A photo of an actual tubular daylighting device that protrudes out of the roof to collect sunlight.

daylighting devices (TDD). A tubular daylighting device is an optical system that uses

engineered duct-like tubes to carry light from roof openings deeper into buildings.

Each device consists of a roof oculus that collects light, a tube lined with a specially

engineered reflective surface, and an interior diffuser. The tubes range from 10 to 21

inches in diameter. This system relies on a simple high-school physics principle: A

beam of light will bounce off a surface at the same angle of incidence at which it

contacts it, so light captured at the top of a tube will move further down along the

tube until it's purposefully redirected by a diffuser. TDDs is frequently capped with a

transparent, roof-mounted dome that acts as the light collector and terminated with a

diffuser that admits daylight into a building, enabling it to distribute event amount of

light inside a building. TDDs are one of the most mechanically and operationally

simple advanced daylighting technologies. While TDDs are one of the most common

daylighting systems used in commercial buildings, TDDs may cost more than other

types of daylighting systems. Alternatively, a traditional type of daylighting system,

called horizontal systems may be used for a commercial building. Horizontal systems

use rows of transom-level wall-mounted panels to harvest light from the sides of a

building and deliver it horizontally to adjacent floors in much the same way that an

exterior air-handling unit distributes fresh air through a building. The technology uses

specially shaped Fresnel lenses, which are powerful but shallow, to collect and

concentrate sunlight from oblique angles. Light captured by the wall panel is thus

increased by a factor of 10, and then sent through a network of fanning reflective light

pipes into horizontal above-ceiling ducts, and finally delivered

to room diffusers. Out of most of the daylighting systems available, the horizontal

system resembles a conventional mechanical heating and ventilation system,

carrying light from one point to different parts of a building through a network of duct-

like passages.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Indoor Environmental Quality

The evidence that improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ) can increase

comfort, decrease adverse health effects, decrease absence rates, and increase

work and school work performance. This section provides estimates at the national

level of some of the benefits and costs of taking practical steps to improve indoor

environmental conditions in Malaysia buildings. The estimates account for the

existing IEQ conditions in buildings that are subject to practical improvement, the

expected size of improvements in health, absence, and performance when IEQ is

improved, and (when possible) the costs of improving IEQ. Besides, increase in

ventilation rate. When the rate of outdoor air supply (ventilation rate) is increased, the

indoor air concentrations of many pollutants emitted from sources inside the building

are diminished. Moreover, indoor temperature can be control to comfort us better.

The Thermal Comfort Standard of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating,

and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) defines thermal comfort zones for winter

Diagram 2.3: An illustration of a horizontal daylighting system.

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and summer within which a majority of people are thermally comfortable. Many

buildings are operated with the goal of maintaining temperatures within these comfort

zones. As discussed in the section of this web site on performance and productivity

indoor temperatures also affect performance of office work, and performance is

maximized with a temperature of approximately 21 °C to 23 °C. In offices, a large

study indicates that as temperatures in the winter decrease below 23 °C, sick

building syndrome symptoms diminish. Taken together, this evidence indicates an

opportunity to improve overall thermal comfort, increase work performance slightly,

and decrease sick building syndrome symptoms by avoiding winter work-time

temperatures greater than approximately 23 °C in U.S. offices.

In the other hand, where the indoor environment quality(IEQ) also bring some

disadvantages to us during maintaining it in office or healthcare. Firstly, cost of

building of IEQ is very high. This is because the needed of specific design and

materials are required to complete for IEQ. Engineer and Architect need to work out

very hard to design and build. Next, maintenances are usually needed to maintain

there is no malfunction part of IEQ in a office/healthcare. Lastly, special materials are

always needed to construct IEQ where the materials are not easily found in our

country .

Problem and Recommendations

There are a lot of people complaints about their working place such as office, the

indoor environmental quality is not good, and the quality of the air is very bad. The

problems of indoor environmental quality is not necessarily from the quality of the air,

it can be other factors too, such as noise, lightning, ergonomic stressors, job-related

psychosocial stressors can, and etc., individually and in combination, these factors is

also the reason of the people to complaint. Thermal comfort triggers many

complaints about "poor air quality". Although the comfort of every occupant cannot be

satisfied at all times, but the temperature and moisture are among many reasons that

affect indoor contaminant level.

One of the problems that cause indoor environmental quality is about office

operations. Sometimes the office set-ups anticipated to diminish short-term costs can

cause the problem. The occupants that lack of use of walk-off rugs at entrances may

increase the amount of soils tracked into office. Low-bid custodial accommodations

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that use ineffective equipment and astringent chemicals may result in cleaning

practices that fail to accumulate and abstract soils and contaminants, and that may

genuinely increase the load of volatile organic chemicals in the office The

modifications of operation and maintenance of heating, ventilation and air

conditioning systems (HVAC) can have negative effects in the air quality, such as

reducing the flow of alfresco ventilation air, shutting down HVAC systems during

untenanted periods, and culling the least sumptuous and least efficient panel filters.

Efficacious design and manufacture of office to promote salubrious environments is

vital. An opportunely designed and constructed office shell (roof, walls and

substratum) isolates and insulates the indoors from the alfresco. It keeps alfresco

contaminants such as dusts, liquid dihydrogen monoxide, sultriness, air pollution and

pests from entering the office. The interior forfend by the insulation in the office shell

from temperature extremes.

There are some good designed will help to provide clean alfresco air, modify and

control indoor temperature and sultriness, such as designed of heating, ventilation

and air-conditioning (HVAC), and dilute common pollution from people, activities,

furnishings, etc. Additionally, HVAC systems maintain correct air pressure

relationships between indoors and alfresco, as well as abstracting pollutants by

utilizing local exhaust ventilation from point sources such as fuel-burning appliances,

bathrooms, kitchens and habiliments dryers

The occurrence of quandaries with the indoor environment can be reducing through

efficacious, prompt and preventive maintenance. The conspicuous malfunctions or

conspicuous contamination, and serviced to ascertain congruous airflow,

temperature, sultriness and air balance should be checked by HVAC system. Conscientious management of custodial, pest control, building engineering and

maintenance activities will additionally avail to avert quandaries.

The indoor environment can also affect by renovation and remodeling. We can select

new building materials that emit lower calibers of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

and that are environmentally amicable when designing renovation or remodeling

projects. Vicissitudes in floor plans, such as moving walls or vicissitudes in the

number and distribution of people, may diverge from intended design and operation

of HVAC systems. It shows that the modification to HVAC system may be required.

From the ventilation systems accommodating the work areas, the scheduling work

such as painting during unoccupied periods, airing out carpets afore installation, and

isolating the rest of the building may be can reduced in short-term quandaries.

Generally, the most cost-efficacious solution to IEQ quandaries is pollutant source

control. Enjoining tobacco smoking in the office has been eliminated by the

complaints. The clean outdoor air may additionally avail to resolve complaints by

diluting contaminants because of the maintenance of modifications to ventilation

systems. Isolate sources can avail by transmuting air pressure relationships. Decent

filtration may avail avert outside pollution such as pollen from entering the office.

Occupants should not be deterred from reporting unorthodox odors, discomfort or

other vicissitudes in the building. These may be early designations of maintenance

quandaries that need to be concentrated.

Lastly, the employees should minimize the utilization of perfumes or colognes or

engaging in other activities such as cooking fragrant foods in microwave ovens that

may trigger a co-worker's discomfort. Chemical formulations should be use only

where dedicated ventilation is provided and should be used it cautiously. Since that

disrupts congruous commixing and distribution of air, the air supply diffusers should

not be blocked or taped closed.

Case study: Indoor environmental conditionsIn 2004, Cornell University’s ergonomics professor Dr. Alan Hedge conducted

a study at Insurance Office of America’s headquarters in Orlando. The purpose of the

study was to investigate the link between changes in physical environmental

conditions and changes in work performance. Hedge explain that “temperature is

certainly a key variable that can impact performance”. Alan Hedge determined that

workers are more efficient when they’re warm.

Methods

In this study, Hedge and his team carefully tracked the productivity of nine

workers working in the insurance office. Their workstations were equipped with air

samplers that recorded the temperature every 15 minutes. Productivity was tracked

by software that measured their typing speed and errors for 20 consecutive days.

Results

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Alan hedge and his team found that the workers were significantly more

productive when their office was kept at a warmer temperature. When the office

temperature at 77° F (25°C), the workers were keying 100% of the time with a 10%

error rate, while the office temperature at 68° F (20° C) the keying rate went down to

54% of the time with a 25% error rate.

The results of study also suggest raising the temperature to a more

comfortable thermal zone saves employers about $2 per worker, per hour,”

says Hedge. Overall, Hedge and his team estimated that companies could save up to

12.5% of their wage costs per worker by raising the temperature a few degrees

As a result, it show clear associations between office work performance and

indoor environmental conditions. The performance of workers will decrease when it is

too cold (or too hot). Temperature at a more comfortable thermal zone will improve

performance of workers.

Temperature and Performance

Case Study 2: Impact of Daylight

A study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine found that

office that had a window will give a much better sense of health to the workers. The

purpose of this study is to understanding the impact of light on office workers.

Methods

A total of 49 participants were examined. 27 of them worked in windowless

offices and another 22 were worked near windows. Workers with windows received

173% more white light exposure during work hours. These were people who worked

a typical day shift and the participants were not told about the specific objectives of

the study.

Results

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This study found that workers with windows in the workplace slept an average

of 46 minutes more per night than employees who did not have the natural light

exposure in workplace. Workers in office with a window also trended to have more

physical activity than those without windows,

Workers without windows had more sleep disturbances. People who without

sleep tend to suffer from problems that could affect their performance at work such

as memory loss, slower psychomotor reflexes, depression and shorter attention

spans. Lack of sleep could lead to more workplace accidents and errors.

As a result, daylight can improve office workers productivity and health, as

well as the safety of the community they work and live in.

Learning Outcome

Throughout this assignment, we have learned about the importance of indoor

environment quality to occupants in the building. There are several factors could

affect the IEQ such as the lighting, air quality, and damp conditions and how do they

affect the comfortableness of the occupants. The heat ventilation and air conditioning

system (HVAC) plays an important role in controlling the air quality as it manages the

temperature and air movement of indoor. It is essential that as it could provide the

occupants a desired temperature and ventilation when the building is lack of natural

ventilation. As the enclosed place is ventilated, it could prevent the saturation of

microorganism. Hence, it maintains a healthy surrounding for the people.

Besides, we also learned about the day lighting system which is a system that

allows natural light to travel into the building. This would provide a natural,

comfortable energy saving and productive environment to the building occupants. An

optimum amount of natural sunlight could help increasing the alertness of the

occupants. Therefore, it enhances the IEQ of the working place.

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Other than that, we also understand the installation process and the selection

of the components according to the building specifications. For an example, a

building with high amount of occupants would require a greater HVAC system to

provide desired ventilation. IEQ of the building is able to achieve a healthy and

comfort zone with the suitable uses of the HVAC and natural lighting system.

We learnt about the advantages and disadvantages of the every type of

systems and able to select the most suitable system to provide the maximum indoor

environment quality according to the building’s nature. A bad indoor environment

could result in poor air quality and may causes sick building syndrome to the

occupants.

All in all, indoor environment quality is essential to maintain the health and

productivity of the occupants. The components that maintain indoor environment

quality shall be regularly maintained and take care in the building.

References :

1.https://www.swtc.edu/ag_power/air_conditioning/lecture/compressor.htm

2. http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/ci-ic/article/v16n1-10

3. http://www.examiner.com/article/tubular-daylighting-devices-are-your-answer-to-

daylighting-portland

4. http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/green/daylighting-

device.htm

5. http://www.facilitiesnet.com/lighting/article/How-Daylighting-Can-Improve-IEQ--10449?

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source=part

6. http://www.facilitiesnet.com/lighting/article/How-Daylighting-Works-Facilities-

Management-Lighting-Feature--10445

7. https://www.wbdg.org/resources/hvac.php

8. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778813005379

9. https://sftool.gov/learn/about/1/indoor-environmental-quality-ieq

10. http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB096065

11. http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/consumer/buildings/commercial/hvac.htm

12. https://www.wbdg.org/design/ieq.php

13. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/minds-business/cold-offices-

linked-to-lower-productivity.html

14. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/14/health/daylight-office-workers/

15. http://www.floormat.com/heated-mats/heat-and-productivity.html

16. http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2014/08/natural-light-in-the-office-

boosts-health.html

17. Greeno, R., 2000. Building Services, Technology and Design. Harlow: Addison

Wesley Longman Limited