According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in USA, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is the quality of a building’s environment in relation to the health and wellbeing of those who occupy space within it. IEQ factors include indoor air quality, thermal environment, lighting, acoustics, and building layout, to name a few. Performance and productivity are related but are different concepts. Performance is the outcome of a goal-directed activity where the performers deliberately regulate their behavior to achieve that goal. Productivity has no widely agreed definition, but is generally expressed in terms of efficiency, i.e., a ratio of input to output. Previous research demonstrates that good IEQ generally improves occupants’ satisfaction and productivity, albeit conflicting evidence was found on effects of specific IEQ factors on different performance and productivity metrics.
The impacts of IEQ on both human performance and productivity have been extensively studied, however these studies have yielded inconsistent research findings. A recent review demonstrates that a specific IEQ factor (IAQ, thermal, lighting, acoustic, and non-light visual factors) exerts varying effects on performance skills, such as attention, perception, memory, language function, and higher-order cognitive skills. Likewise, a specific performance skill can be affected by IEQ factors to varying degrees. Interaction effects between different IEQ factors, however, are less well studied and understood. Arithmetic relationships have been developed to quantify the productivity changes due to variations of IEQ factors. However, the lack of consensus in the definition of productivity within an office environment has led to various productivity metrics being used and contradictory results being reported. In comparison, productivity metrics in a learning environment are less controversial, commonly including quality of teaching and learning, and academic achievements. The vast majority of studies in this regard focus on students' short-term academic achievement assessed by cognitive performance tests, self-reported performance, and school tests, whereas use of long-term academic achievement metrics, such as students' grade point average, is rare. To sum up, more research is needed to advance the knowledge of the connection between indoor environment quality and performance/productivity.
This Research Topic aims to present new studies and new findings on the quantitative impact of IEQ factors on building occupants’ working and learning performance and (or) productivity in office/educational settings.
This Research Topic welcomes original research studies in the form of laboratory experiments, field tests, and field intervention studies, as well as literature reviews including meta-analyses of previous research outcomes. Below are the scopes of IEQ factors and performance/productivity metrics:
• IEQ factors can focus on single factors, such as indoor air quality, thermal environment, lighting, acoustics, office/classroom layout, interior design, spatial organization, personal control, building amenities and maintenance, or on a combination of factors considering the interaction effects.
• The working/learning performance can be evaluated by cognitive performance tests, subjective perceptions, physiological responses, or combinations of these. Common approaches to measuring productivity include, but are not limited to, performance measures, self-assessed productivity, and staff costs and profits.
• Manuscripts should clearly document experimental or field monitoring conditions, performance/productivity metrics, and IEQ instruments used in the study for future meta-analyses.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in USA, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is the quality of a building’s environment in relation to the health and wellbeing of those who occupy space within it. IEQ factors include indoor air quality, thermal environment, lighting, acoustics, and building layout, to name a few. Performance and productivity are related but are different concepts. Performance is the outcome of a goal-directed activity where the performers deliberately regulate their behavior to achieve that goal. Productivity has no widely agreed definition, but is generally expressed in terms of efficiency, i.e., a ratio of input to output. Previous research demonstrates that good IEQ generally improves occupants’ satisfaction and productivity, albeit conflicting evidence was found on effects of specific IEQ factors on different performance and productivity metrics.
The impacts of IEQ on both human performance and productivity have been extensively studied, however these studies have yielded inconsistent research findings. A recent review demonstrates that a specific IEQ factor (IAQ, thermal, lighting, acoustic, and non-light visual factors) exerts varying effects on performance skills, such as attention, perception, memory, language function, and higher-order cognitive skills. Likewise, a specific performance skill can be affected by IEQ factors to varying degrees. Interaction effects between different IEQ factors, however, are less well studied and understood. Arithmetic relationships have been developed to quantify the productivity changes due to variations of IEQ factors. However, the lack of consensus in the definition of productivity within an office environment has led to various productivity metrics being used and contradictory results being reported. In comparison, productivity metrics in a learning environment are less controversial, commonly including quality of teaching and learning, and academic achievements. The vast majority of studies in this regard focus on students' short-term academic achievement assessed by cognitive performance tests, self-reported performance, and school tests, whereas use of long-term academic achievement metrics, such as students' grade point average, is rare. To sum up, more research is needed to advance the knowledge of the connection between indoor environment quality and performance/productivity.
This Research Topic aims to present new studies and new findings on the quantitative impact of IEQ factors on building occupants’ working and learning performance and (or) productivity in office/educational settings.
This Research Topic welcomes original research studies in the form of laboratory experiments, field tests, and field intervention studies, as well as literature reviews including meta-analyses of previous research outcomes. Below are the scopes of IEQ factors and performance/productivity metrics:
• IEQ factors can focus on single factors, such as indoor air quality, thermal environment, lighting, acoustics, office/classroom layout, interior design, spatial organization, personal control, building amenities and maintenance, or on a combination of factors considering the interaction effects.
• The working/learning performance can be evaluated by cognitive performance tests, subjective perceptions, physiological responses, or combinations of these. Common approaches to measuring productivity include, but are not limited to, performance measures, self-assessed productivity, and staff costs and profits.
• Manuscripts should clearly document experimental or field monitoring conditions, performance/productivity metrics, and IEQ instruments used in the study for future meta-analyses.
