Nine to Five: Design for Chronobiological Aspects of the Indoor Environment
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Date
2021-11-23
Authors
Al Awadh, Sadiqa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
We spend more than 90% of our time indoors. In office work environments, occupants are often seated in the same workstation for a prolonged period of time. If they do not receive the recommended quantity and quality of light or access to windows, this will be reflected in their decreased wellbeing, satisfaction, and productivity. This dissertation investigates the metrics, benchmarks, and tools that could test parameters that influence the availability of daylight and access to windows in buildings. It looks at both photopic light (illuminance, lux) for visual task needs as well as melanopic light (equivalent melanopic lux, EML) that triggers alertness levels and affects circadian entrainment for occupant health and wellbeing. The overarching question asked is whether glazing tints, office floor plates, or office indoor layouts more influential as architectural parameters that enhance or diminish the availability of daylight. To answer this question, fifty office buildings with various forms and interior layouts were simulated in both lighting analyses and isovist software to bridge both lighting design and interior design space syntax fields together. For experimental purposes, the parameters were constrained to limit the variables under study. The preliminary pilot studies tested the fixed parameters to be used for the lighting simulation conditions for all fifty office buildings: clear glazing, 2 storey height building context, location Portland, OR, climate zone 4C, overcast sky conditions, simulation time 9 am, 12 pm and 3 pm.
The simulation results highlight the impact of a small glazing tint choice that can deteriorate daylighting conditions by up to 82%. The major findings indicate shape factor was the strongest indicator of a building’s form for circadian potential. By calculating a building’s shape factor and conducting a point isovist analysis to obtain the isovist measures (AP ratio, compactness, and occlusivity) for a specific view, a multiple linear regression model equation was derived to calculate whether the occupant seating position and view meets EML benchmarks.
This research is a response to the need for awareness of the importance of lighting indoor environmental quality and occupant wellbeing by testing and providing quick rules of thumb and accessible simulation methods.
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Keywords
Daylight, Indoor Environmental Quality, Isovist Analysis, Occupant Well-being, Sustainable Building Design