Strategy for Improving the Indoor Environment of Office Spaces in Subtropical Cities

Abstract

Taiwan is located in a subtropical region with high temperatures and humidity. Office spaces are located in air-enclosed rooms in buildings, where doors and windows remain closed and only a central air-conditioning system provides temperature adjustment and ventilation. Most offices in this area have office seating areas, document storage areas on both sides of the office, and multi-function devices, which can cause sick office syndrome in the employees. This study applied environmental monitoring technology to analyze the architectural form and indoor and outdoor air quality to propose improvement strategies addressing indoor temperature, relative humidity and air quality. Quality indices were used created to evaluate the improvement efficiency. The analysis results showed that the indoor temperature and relative humidity in staff seating areas can be effectively improved. The statistical analysis results of improved efficiency for PM2.5, PM10 concentrations and total suspended particulates showed that the average indicator values have been raised from 0.05 to 1.5, 2.45 to 4.02 and 0.91 to 3.54, respectively, for staff seating area and −0.01 to 2.82, 0.15 to 3.91 and 1.25 to 7.25, respectively, for photocopier areas. The ambient air quality of this office space has been significantly improved. This study can serve as an example of air quality improvement in traditional common office spaces.

Keywords

• office space
• air quality
• suspended particulates
• central air conditioning
• external air exchange