Occupant action patterns regarding spatial and human factors in office environments

Abstract Since occupant behaviour impacts the energy performance of buildings, its study is relevant in order to bridge the performance gap. While the factors influencing occupant behaviour have been established, most studies have focused on those factors that motivate the action, such as environmental and temporal conditions. Contextual factors including spatial and occupant characteristics, which act as action moderators, remain a subject to explore. In this way, this article aims to identify patterns in the occupants’ actions in office environments, based on spatial and human factors. A field study, including 514 occupants in 85 office spaces, was carried out in 11 buildings in Concepcion, Chile. The results indicate that spatial layout is significantly related to the operation of windows, blinds, and thermostats, but not personal devices. Gender did not influence whether an occupant was active or not and age range was only significant regarding blinds. In shared spaces, there were fewer active occupants and whose acts depend on the perception of opportunity that they have, which is associated with element control distance and occupant age. The findings suggest that the probability that actions occur varies based on spatial and human factors, particularly because these factors affect occupant perception of opportunity.