New study shows employees aren't happier working in green buildings

Think working in an environmentally green building leads to greater satisfaction in the workplace? Think again.

People working in buildings certified under LEED’s green building standard appear no more satisfied with the quality of their indoor workplace environments than those toiling in conventional buildings, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

The work, which counters the findings of several earlier studies examining the same issue, was done by Stefano Schiavon, an assistant professor of architecture in sustainability, energy and environment at UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment (CBE) and associate professor Sergio Altomonte with the University of Nottingham’s Environmental Physics and Design Research Group.

The findings were published in the April issue of the journal Building and Environment and expand on Schiavon and Altomonte’s previous work on the topic by determining that most workers do not experience a higher level of workplace satisfaction simply because they work in LEED certified buildings–regardless of the building layout, amount of time in the workplace and many other factors.

Schiavon and Altomonte analyzed the survey responses of 21,477 individuals in 144 mainly large office buildings, most in the United States. Of those buildings, 65 are LEED certified. Previous reports by other researchers who reached different conclusions about worker satisfaction were based on much smaller sample sizes and different statistical tests.

“Does this mean that green certification is outdated, just costly or even useless?” asked Schiavon. “Certainly not, especially given the urgency of the environmental challenge and the fundamental role of buildings on people health and wellbeing, climate change and energy security.”

Schiavon and Altomonte did find that LEED-rated buildings may be more effective in providing higher occupant satisfaction when occupants are in open spaces rather than in enclosed offices, and when the buildings are smaller in size.

Occupant satisfaction with LEED-certified office building environments appears to decline with time, with the greatest level of satisfaction reported during the first year that a worker spends in a green building.

One reason for this decline may be that LEED certification is largely based on predictions, without measuring real building performance post-construction. Schiavon and Altomonte said that workplace satisfaction might improve if more design-related information could be collected by assessing LEED certified buildings based on actual operations and performance.

They said they hope their research leads builders and businesses to pay closer attention to:

Designing strategies and solutions aimed at influencing occupant satisfaction and feelings of health, well-being and job performance as part of the LEED certification process
Occupant feedback
The ongoing development of the LEED program towards continuous assessment of building and people performance

The researchers are now studying the most effective LEED strategies for the improvement of office worker well-being and plan to report their conclusions in 2015.

Since early 2020, Americans have been forced to sequester themselves in their homes with outdoor activities, in most cases, being the sole respite for social distancing. And many of people are going back to the basics with a quintessential outdoor activity: biking. Bike sales absolutely skyrocketed during the pandemic, growing by 69% in 2020.

Senior Living Design | Aug 13, 2021

Designing with dignity for senior living, with Mike Rodebaugh, LEO A DALY

In this exclusive interview for HorizonTV, Mike Rodebaugh, AIA, Senior Living Sector Leader with LEO A DALY, describes how his firm applies "hospitality magic tricks" in its senior living communities, using design to lend dignity to residents, staff, and residents' families and social circles.

Architects | Aug 5, 2021

Lord Aeck Sargent's post-Katerra future, with LAS President Joe Greco

After three years under the ownership of Katerra, which closed its North American operations last May, the architecture firm Lord Aeck Sargent is re-establishing itself as an independent company, with an eye toward strengthening its eight practices and regional presence in the U.S.

Architects | Aug 5, 2021

Lord Aeck Sargent's post-Katerra future, with LAS President Joe Greco

Torre Faro tower by Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel architects

Office Buildings | Aug 4, 2021

‘Lighthouse’ office tower will be new headquarters for A2A in Milan

The tower, dubbed Torre Faro, reimagines the company’s office spaces to adapt to people’s ever-changing needs at work.

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartment buildings copy

Multifamily Housing | Jul 30, 2021

Multifamily housing for a post-COVID world

A trio of multifamily design experts presents concepts for post-pandemic apartment developments.

NCARB's latest report includes pass results by demographic groups.

Architects | Jul 23, 2021

NCARB releases demographic breakdown of licensing exam pass rates

The organization is launching initiatives to figure out what’s causing disparities among candidate groups.

Wood | Jul 16, 2021

The future of mass timber construction, with Swinerton's Timberlab

In this exclusive for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sat down with three Timberlab leaders to discuss the launch of the firm and what factors will lead to greater mass timber demand.

Multifamily Housing | Jul 15, 2021

Economic rebound leads to record increase in multifamily asking rents

Across the country, multifamily rents have skyrocketed. Year-over-year rents are up by double digits in nine of the top 30 markets, while national YoY rent growth is up 6.3%. Emerging from the pandemic, a perfect storm of migration, enhanced government stimulus and a hot housing market, among other factors, has enabled this extremely strong growth.

Currently Reading

New study shows employees aren't happier working in green buildings

Tags

Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021

Urban Planning | Aug 16, 2021

Senior Living Design | Aug 13, 2021

Architects | Aug 5, 2021

Architects | Aug 5, 2021

Office Buildings | Aug 4, 2021

Multifamily Housing | Jul 30, 2021

Architects | Jul 23, 2021

Wood | Jul 16, 2021

Multifamily Housing | Jul 15, 2021

Most Popular Content

Magazine Subscription

Get our Newsletters

Follow BD+C: