for fresh thoughts!

level 11–23%

High CO2 levels have been found to impact tiredness or decision-making in a number of studies. One recent lab-based study using simulated decision-making tasks showed CO2 having a significant detrimental impact (11%-23% worse) at 1000ppm compared to 600ppm, despite 1000ppm being widely considered acceptable.

light 6.5%

A study in 2011 investigated the relationship between view quality, daylighting and sick leave of employees in administration offices of Northwest University Campus. Taken together, the two variables explained 6.5% of the variation in sick leave, which was statistically significant.

Good lighting is crucial for occupant satisfaction, and our understanding of the health and wellbeing benefits of light is growing all the time. Several studies in the last decade have estimated productivity gains as a result of proximity to windows.

Noise & vibration 66%

up to a 66% drop in performance for a ‘memory for prose’ task when participants were exposed to different types of background noise

Being productive in the modern knowledge-based office is practically impossible when noise provides an unwanted distraction. This can be a major cause of dissatisfaction amongst occupants.

Temperature 10%

10% reduction in performance at both 30°C and 15°C compared with a baseline between 21°C and 23°C

Thermal comfort has a significant impact on workplace satisfaction. Studies consistently show that even modest degrees of personal control over thermal comfort can return single digit improvements in productivity.

Humidity 11%

There is a strong impact of humidity level on employees performance during different seasons. Productivity was higher under high humidity conditions in winter. On the other hand correct answer speed slightly increased in a low humidity in summer.

VOCs 8%

Increasing ventilation from 5l/s to 20l/s improved performance by up to 8%

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), allergens and asthmagens make for a veritable cocktail of potential pollutants that may come from building materials, carpets, finishes, cleaning products, office equipment and traffic; while the carbon dioxide exhaled by office workers themselves can be detrimental when left to amass in high concentrations. in a 2011 lab test which mimicked an office, a range of office-related tasks were carried out with the presence of airborne VOCs. Increasing ventilation from 5l/s to 20l/s improved performance by up to 8%