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Design of the Indoor Environment

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Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environments

Abstract

This chapter presents knowledge of how people respond to the physical environment and how that is used in the design of indoor environments. It considers thermal, acoustical, visual, air quality, and vibration environmental components and their interaction and integration. It identifies the important physical factors that determine human response, and hence those that should be considered in environmental design. It also describes how people respond to each of the environmental components, environmental indices, and subjective scales that can be used to construct and carry out an environmental survey for assessing the quality of existing indoor environments. Learning outcomes: On successful completion of this chapter, readers will be able to: (1) Understand the important physical factors that should be considered in environmental design; (2) Gain insight into how people respond to the thermal, acoustical, visual, air quality, and vibration environments; and (3) Appreciate how to use human responses to design optimum indoor environments.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Loughborough University, Leicester, Le113tu, UK

    Ken Parsons

Authors
  1. Ken Parsons
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ken Parsons .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Crescent 9, Reading, RG6 7NW, United Kingdom

    Runming Yao

Physical environment and human performance assessment form

Physical environment and human performance assessment form

Complete this assessment form in the context of the organizational culture and mission, the job requirements of the staff, and how the physical environment may affect their performance and productivity

Category

Comments

General impression (One sentence and one word descriptors)

 

Good points (include what the best aspect is)

 

Bad points (include what the worst aspect is)

 

Air Quality (immediate impression on entering - stuffy, smelly, and dusty?)

 

Thermal Environment (hot, cold, humid, draughty, hot/cold surfaces, and sweaty)

 

Lighting and visual environment (easy to see, lighting levels, clean windows and lights, glare, and general appearance)

 

Noise and vibration (detect vibration, footfall, background noise level, interruptions, interference with task, annoying, noise sources, and echoes)

 

Furniture (appearance and condition, fit for purpose, fit to person’s size, telephone, and chair)

 

Computer equipment (correctly positioned and adjusted, glare on screen, reflections, and orientation)

 

Overall layout (storage space, organization of work, filing system, coats, and accessories)

 

Adaptive opportunity (clothing adjustment, move around, open window, control over conditions, level of activity, and take breaks)

 

Distraction (sources of distraction from task that cease work or interfere with performance)

 

Overall conclusion: Environment optimum for performance?

Yes or No

Recommendations:

 

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© 2013 Springer-Verlag London

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Parsons, K. (2013). Design of the Indoor Environment. In: Yao, R. (eds) Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environments. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4781-7_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4781-7_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4780-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4781-7

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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