Let the sunshine in : Perception of windows by Chinese office workers

The right amount of glazing in large office buildings is fiercely debated within the FM, property and construction industry. At stake is the balance between the beneficial effects of daylight and views, discomfort from glare, excessive summer heat gain or winter heat loss, and the associated cost of cooling or heating necessitated by excessive radiant heat gain or loss. This study sought empirical evidence from people working in eight large office buildings in the city of Ningbo, China. 100 people in each of eight large buildings all occupied by financial or professional services organizations, were given a questionnaire. A total of 776 questionnaires were completed, an extremely high response rate of 97%. The starting point was a concern that a significant amount of floor area adjacent to windows was being wasted intentionally by FMs and space planners to avoid limiting productivity through the discomfort of people working near windows. In fact the main findings show that the percentage of people satisfied with their workstations generally increases for those closer to windows, thus confirming studies conducted in other parts of the world. Satisfaction was shown to increase for people working on the sunny sides of the buildings south, east and west, compared to north. Highest productivity is obtained for people sitting one or two desks away from window. The paper concludes by highlighting suggested policies for allocating office space to different functions, supported by these data, while also pinpointing the knowledge gaps still to be filled by new research. Abbreviations FM Facility management FMs Facility Managers Sq.m. Square meters UK United Kingdom Introduction China has a vast stock of office buildings with an estimated floor area in 2008 of 3.5 billion sq.m. that is expected to grow to 6.0 billion sq. m. by 2020 (Fridley et al, 2008, p28). The increasing number of high-rise office buildings in urban areas, many of which have glass curtain walls is increasing (Shih and Huang, 2001). Depending on the extent of glazing, orientation and distance from windows, such buildings are known to create different levels of thermal, lighting and 2 acoustic comfort and discomfort that may affect organizational performance and productivity (Veith et al., 2004; Pearsons, 2000). Currently, there is no standard in China to help facility managers effectively manage the layout of office space. The aim of this study is to provide an evidence base that informs a framework for facility managers to effectively allocate space around the building perimeter to maximize the productivity of occupants. The challenge for facility managers is how both new and existing buildings can be transformed, utilized and managed over time to meet diverse requirements (McGregor, 2000). Many research studies on productivity and employee satisfaction focus on the effect of general employment and working conditions, but rarely mention architectural, space planning and facility management aspects such as glazing, orientation and distance to windows. Designers and facility managers seek demonstrable evidence that the physical environment affects organizational outcomes as measured by indicators such as job satisfaction, work output, absenteeism, turnover, and ultimately productivity (Veitch et al., 2004, Sundstrom, 1986, Bitner, 1992). Some studies suggest that the physical workplace design is one of the most important factors influencing job satisfaction and performance (Hameed and Amjad, 2009, ASID 1999). However, there is little evidence indicating how individual productivity can be influenced by workplace orientation and distance from windows. Occupant preference for windows in offices and other buildings is well established and commonly borne in mind by FMs in managing space allocation (Farley and Veitch, 2001; Finnegan and Solomon, 1981; Marmot and Eley, 2000). However, lighting problems from glare and high contrast can inhibit computer operation and increase fatigue and may affect productivity (Oseland and Bartlett, 1999; Huang and Kim, 2011). Contemporary space layout strategies to maximize views, daylight, personal control, ambient lighting, flexibility and equality of workspace allocation in offices generally favor partitioned or open floor plans over enclosed solo offices (Abbaszadeh, et al., 2006). However, some studies have reported negative findings from open offices compared to enclosed, such as an increase in background noise and distraction, lower levels of visual or acoustic privacy, and decreased employee performance (Yildirim et al., 2007; Hedge, 1982). This study aims to contribute to understanding the relationship between productivity and windows, with particular application to China. Methodology A survey, in the form of a short, self-administered questionnaire establishing satisfaction with the working environment by office workers, was developed based on the literature, and piloted. Individual demographic factors considered in this study were gender, age, job title and working hours. Architectural and space planning factors included were the distance of each workstation from a window and its orientation. The perceived environmental conditions were thermal comfort, lighting quality, shading devices, and ability to control the internal environment, glare, and noise level. The outcome measure was the scale of perceived productivity (Leaman and Bordass, 1999). Results are shown as descriptive statistics and cross tabulations. Office workers in eight buildings located in Ningbo, China (29°52’N, 121°33’E) were investigated. Ningbo is an eastern coastal city in China, with a population of 7.6 million people in 2010 (Figure 1). It has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate, featuring humid weather and four distinct seasons.