The importance of air quality for underground spaces: An international survey of public attitudes

摘要

Space is a resource that is constantly being depleted, especially in mega-cities.Underground workspaces (UGS) are increasingly being included in urban plans andhave emerged as an essential component of vertical cities. While progress had beenmade on the engineering aspects associated with the development of high-qualityUGS, public attitudes toward UGS as work environments (ie, the public's design concernswith UGS) are relatively unknown. Here, we present the first large-scalestudyexamining preferences and attitudes toward UGS, surveying close to 2000 participantsfrom four cities in three continents (Singapore, Shanghai, London, and Montreal).Contrary to previous beliefs, air quality (and not lack of windows) is the major concernof prospective occupants. Windows, temperature, and lighting emerged as additionalimportant building performance aspects for UGS. Early adopters (ie, individuals morewilling to accept UGS and thus more likely to be the first occupants) across all citiesprioritized air quality. Present results suggest that (perceived) air quality is a key buildingperformance aspect for UGS that needs to be communicated to prospective occupantsas this will improve their attitudes and views toward UGS. This study highlightsthe importance of indoor air quality for the public.