An Assessment of the Implications of a Green Building Indoor Environmental Quality on the Building Occupants' in South Africa

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is important to the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants any where in the world. It is believed that poor IEQ is associated with a number of different phenomena, most notably, the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), Building-related Illness (BRI), and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), which, of course, have major effects on productivity. This paper presents results of a post occupancy survey response to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in a South Africa Green Star rated office building. This article assesses the implications of the building IEQ on the building occupants' health and productivity and it further investigate the building occupants' satisfaction with the green building IEQ. The primary data for the study was collected through a structured questionnaire survey distributed to a sample of 95 occupants of the 5 star green rated building in Johannesburg South Africa. Findings from the survey revealed that the occupants of the building were not satisfied with the green building IEQs, most especially the ineffectiveness of blocking natural and artificial lightening. Also it was revealed that the IEQ with a particular reference to the noise level, ventilation of the space have some health implications on the building occupants. The occupants' evaluation revealed that the major health issues which the building occupants suffer as a result of the building IEQ includes: fatigue, headache, common cold, cough, and influenza amongst others which affects the productivity and performance of the the occupants. Since building occupants are a rich source of information about IEQ assessment and its effect on productivity, the study can be used to assess the performance of green buildings, identifying areas needing improvement, and provide useful feedback to designers and operators about specific aspects of green building design features and operating strategies that need improvement. This study adds to the knowledge on green building IEQs.