A field measurement of thermal environment in COOL BIZ office and the evaluation on productivity by a questionnaire survey

A field measurement was conducted to investigate the thermal environment of an office with preset temperature of 28°C in summer. A questionnaire survey on the workers was also conducted during the measurement to evaluate the effect of the thermal environment on productivity. The air temperature tended to be higher in the area with high density of heat sources. The air temperature could reach over 30°C at the time when the air-conditioning system started its operation in the mornings. Fluctuation of the supply air temperature was observed after the room temperature reached to the setting. To elevate the preset temperature in the existing buildings, systematic and operational adjustments of HVAC systems may be necessary for proper thermal environmental control. From the questionnaire, over 70% of the workers were thermally dissatisfied in July and August. The correlations were obtained that when the workers are thermally satisfied, the self-estimated performance is higher and the level of fatigue is lower.