Costs and Benefits of IEQ Improvements in LEED Office Buildings
Publication: Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 17, Issue 2
Abstract
Costs and benefits resulting from improved indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified buildings are often hypothesized; however, the precise quantification of such costs and benefits remains a challenge. This research examined the incremental hard and soft costs of realizing IEQ improvements in LEED office buildings and related benefits to occupant well-being and productivity using a case study approach. Self-reported well-being and productivity data were collected by surveying employees occupying conventional offices compared to similar data upon their move to LEED offices. These pre- and postmove findings were analyzed using the life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) framework to calculate the potential economic gains of IEQ improvements to the organizations. The results indicate economically viable investments in LEED-IEQ credits and offers directions for future research. These preliminary findings may assist building owners/investors/policymakers in making better-informed building decisions towards IEQ improvements in buildings from the economic perspective of sustainability.
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Acknowledgments
The writers sincerely acknowledge the funding support provided by the Environmental Research Initiative of the Environmental Science and Policy Program at Michigan State University. The writers also would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their contributions and constructive feedback to improve the quality of this paper.
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Published In
Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 17 • Issue 2 • June 2011
Pages: 86 - 94
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 10, 2009
Accepted: Aug 7, 2010
Published online: Sep 6, 2010
Published in print: Jun 1, 2011
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