Enhancing Occupants’ Well-Being Through Qualitative Indoor Environments

In today’s competitive business environment, corporations can no longer afford to waste the potential of their workforce as personal costs of salaries and benefits are considered the most expensive items in an office building. There are certain essential factors in the employee’s workplace that influence significantly on their level of motivation and performance. The main objective of the study is to understand the relationship between the employee’s performance and their physical work environment. Lighting is an effective element in interior design, especially when it comes to deciding between natural and artificial lighting, where several light measurements, calculation, and fixtures types are needed. This paper examines a small design project in which occupants’ comfort and indoor environment quality aspects are tested through the collection of occupants’ feedback under a variety of conditions: 1. natural light in addition to energy-efficient artificial lighting, 2. acoustics, noise control and acceptable sound level indoors, and 3. thermal comfort through natural and artificial ventilation. The parameters are analyzed and concluded with various alternatives to achieve an optimum solution for better indoor working conditions for the proposed space. Finally, based on the evaluation findings, a set of recommendations is proposed to evaluate indoor working spaces’ qualities. The paper findings and proposed recommendations can help promoting a healthy environment, improving the occupant’s comfort, increasing workers’ performance, reducing stress, and ultimately enhancing the occupant’s quality of life.