Window opening and blind usage patterns in a naturally ventilated office building: to what extent does user behaviour compromise potential building performance?

摘要

Building occupants can essentially adapt to changed environmental conditions in two ways, either by a personal change (clothing, activity, occupied place) or by an adjustment of the surrounding environment according to their demands for comfort. Adaptation of the surrounding environment can either be achieved through the use of mechanical devices such as heating, cooling, mechanical ventilation and automated solar shading devices or by passive means such as solar shading through individual blind usage or window ventilation. However, failure in operation of either active or passive systems can result in a compromised working environment. This paper assesses window opening and blind usage patterns of a typical, naturally ventilated ‘international style’ office building in the UK and relates this to the users’ perception of the indoor environment. The results show that behaviour patterns and user perception do not always match and are often out of phase. Measures of how to address this problem are discussed, focussing on how to support intuitive environmental control without changing the basic shading and ventilation concepts.