Human-Building Interaction.pdf

An interdisciplinary survey was conducted in offices across three Mediterranean climates in Italy to assess contextual and behavioral factors driving occupants' interaction with building systems.
The survey instrument bridges the gap between building physics and social science environments, focusing on energy- and comfort-related human-building interaction in the workspace.
Four key learning objectives were identified:
1. Individual occupant's motivational drivers regarding interaction with shared building environmental controls.
2. Group dynamics such as perceived social norms, attitudes, and intention to share controls.
3. Occupant perception of the ease of use and knowledge of how to operate control systems.
4. Occupant-perceived comfort, satisfaction, and productivity.
The study aims to identify climatic, cultural, and socio-demographic influencing factors and establish the validity of the survey instrument for future studies.
Social science insights can bring innovative knowledge into the adoption of building technologies in shared contexts, enhancing perceived environmental satisfaction and effectiveness of personal indoor climate control in office settings.
Occupants who perceive higher control over their indoor environment are more satisfied, and simulation studies have confirmed that proactive office workers can consume up to 50% less energy than their peers.
Achievable behavioral-driven energy savings using an optimized link between occupant behavior and building controls can range from 7% to 15%.
Observed energy savings are typically smaller than the predicted potential, highlighting the need for further research on the complex relationships between occupant behavior, building controls, and energy savings.