Occupant Perception of the Work Environment

Abstract

Twelve features of the indoor environment representing the thermal, acoustical, lighting and air quality constituents were rated according to their percentage contribution to the quality of the indoor space by 111 advanced engineering students and 89 clerical workers. The resulting mean percentages were: temperature 15.8; brightness of the lighting, 11.0; tobacco smoke, 9.8; loudness of the sound, 8.7; noisy distractions, 8.5; lighting glare, 7.9; odor, 7.5; air movement, 7.2; humidity, 7.1; dust, 6.7; shadows, 5.1; and pitch, 4.7. The results showed that the thermal environment was judged to be significantly more important (p < .01) than the other three constituents, that the loudness and pitch of the sound was significantly (p < .01) more important to the student sample than to the clerical sample, and that temperature was perceived as more critical (p < .05) to the clerical sample than to the student sample.