Societal
User Comfort/Satisfaction
For projects to be socially sustainable, it is important to consider the needs of end users of a development. Achieving this can including ensuring the following elements are built into the design
User Controls
User controls should be provided for occupants to control the different aspects of the indoor environment e.g. shading devices, lighting controls, natural ventilation, temperature settings, etc. According to research, occupant control of the local environment increases comfort. This is more likely to be achieved in a naturally ventilated building and increases occupant tolerance and comfort in a variety of conditions.
Questions to consider
- Is there a shift from centrally controlled systems to a more local zoning of control providing a degree of individual control?
- Is an occupant controlled glare control system (e.g. internal or external blinds) to be provided to all occupied areas on all elevations?
- Is zoning of lighting controls to be provided that allows for varying occupancy and/or uses within each space? Is this occupant controlled?
- Are windows openable? What is the openable area within each room compared with the floor area? Where the building is over 15m deep, are there windows on both sides of the building and are they evenly distributed?
- Is local occupant control to be available for temperature adjustment in each area to reflect differing load requirements?
At what design stage should this issue be considered?
DESIGN
Acoustic performance
The acoustic performance of the college buildings should be such as to not interfere with learning. Appropriate measures should be applied such as cross-talk attenuation, vibrational isolation and location of mechanical equipment and consideration of where natural ventilation is used. If feasible, the college should be sited away from large sources of noise, for example, railway lines, motorways and airports.
Questions to consider
- What are the internal noise levels for open plan, cellular offices, and conference rooms?
- Are there any large sources of noise in close proximity to the college site?
At what design stage should this issue be considered?
DESIGN
Indoor Air quality
Special attention needs to be paid to the quality of the indoor air. This is affected by the amount of pollutants in the air and the humidity level. Indoor air quality can be sensed by occupants through smell and reaction to irritants in the eyes, nose and throat. Ensure that outdoor pollution ingress to the building is minimised as well as considering internally generated pollution from occupants, ventilation systems and materials offgassing. Poor air quality can affect the health and comfort (and therefore well being) of occupants.
Questions to consider
- Are indoor air quality targets being set?
- Will the indoor air quality be monitored?
- What is being done to reduce odour and indoor airborne pollutants?
- For air conditioned or mechanically ventilated buildings, what is the rate of fresh air being provided? For naturally ventilated buildings, are there trickle vents?
At what design stage should this issue be considered?
DESIGN
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Comfort
There should be full consideration during design and operation of comfort issues including; odour considerations, noise levels to be kept below standard guideline levels, vibration levels to be kept to a minimum, airborne pollutants to be controlled, traffic generation must be kept to minimum and light effects need to be taken into consideration such as glare. A healthy environment will increase the comfort of the students and promote learning.
Questions to consider
- What is the philosophy on quality of life of the users?
At what design stage should this issue be considered?
DESIGN
Lighting
Daylight and natural light should be maximised but controlled. This reduces energy consumption and improves user comfort. There is evidence to suggest that people work better in a well lit room, especially when lit with daylight. The light in the space should be suitably lit for tasks, e.g. lectern lighting, as well as being well balanced, i.e. subtle contrasts. They should also be an effective control strategy in place to ensure daylighting is supplemented with artificial light when required as well as ensuring zonal lighting for tasks can be achieved.
Questions to consider
- Is there adequate daylighting in teaching spaces?
- Is there suitable lighting in place for teaching task, for example, lectern lighting and presentation lighting?
- Has a lighting control strategy been put in place?
At what design stage should this issue be considered?
DESIGN
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Thermal Control
Consideration should be given to the thermal comfort within a building. Occupants who are too hot or too cold will not be able to work properly, will be unhappy, and may become unhealthy. Thermal comfort provision should be achieved through the holistic building design to create a healthy, productive space, as well as using specific heating or cooling provision.
Questions to consider
- How is it intended that thermal condition as are controlled?
- Will these be sufficient?
At what design stage should this issue be considered?
DESIGN
Occupant Feedback
Occupants of buildings should be provided with a means of feeding back comments to the designers and operators of the building they occupy. This ensures that the occupants' dissatisfactions or discomforts may be alleviated, as well as ensuring that designers are better informed of occupant requirements.
Access to natural light should be optimised for energy efficiency as well as health and well being of occupants. Natural light gives better colour reproduction as well as reducing discomfort from flicker of fluorescent luminaires. Research has shown that natural light provision in buildings aids sufferers of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Questions to consider
- After application, has or will occupant feedback be obtained?
- How will this information be incorporated?
At what design stage should this issue be considered?
OPERATION
