Effect of IEQ on Occupant Satisfaction and Study/Work Performance in a Green Educational Building: A Case Study

The first stage of sustainable construction has been going on for perhaps 15 years and has made big progress. Various research states that green buildings have been produced to lower the impacts on the environment and enhance the health quality of the occupants. Studies also show that universities and colleges put emphasis on the importance to build green buildings in their campus because of its various benefits, such as lower operating costs, higher property value, etc. But, are occupants happy about the indoor environment of green buildings? The aim of this research is to investigate the relationships between indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and study/work performance of occupants in the Tyree Energy Technologies Building (TETB), a six-star green educational building in the University of New South Wales, Sydney. This study adopted a case study design combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Questionnaire survey and archival records have been used for data collection. A structured online questionnaire survey was carried out by distributing emails to the occupants of TETB. A non-probability purposive sampling was used to select the sample of participants. Correlation coefficients and multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the results. It was found that occupants were satisfied with the overall indoor environment of the building. However, they are not satisfied with the room/space layout and the indoor air quality. The results showed that all indoor environment variables as well as the overall indoor environment satisfaction are significantly correlated with the occupants' study/work performance. It is identified that thermal quality, acoustic quality and room/space layout were the main components of IEQ that contribute to the overall study/work performance of the occupants. The findings of this study can provide guidance for designers and facilities manager to improve the indoor environment of TETB.