ceilings
15
‘Poor mental health costs UK employers £30bn a year’
Effective design and appropriate product choices for ceilings can help improve performance and wellbeing
How good design can benefit wellness
In terms of thermal comfort, a 2006 analysis of 24 studies on the relationship between temperature and performance2 indicated a 10 per cent reduction in performance at both 30˚C and 15˚C compared with between 21˚C and 23˚C, leaving little doubt as to the impact this factor has on office occupants. Phase change material (PCMs) create thermal storage when
their wax inner core melts from a solid to a liquid during the heat of the day and, because heat rises, the ceiling is the perfect place to install PCM ceiling tiles. The process is reset when the PCM is reversed back to a solid at night. In terms of acoustics, the BCO study rated this aspect as one,
if not the major, bugbear and a study by Office Wars 2015 Orangebox found that when noise is over 85 dB all work suffers. In areas requiring collaboration, ceiling canopies and vertical
baffles are appropriate solutions to complement low or high furniture systems within and between areas, while in areas requiring focus, mid-to-high sound absorption and attenuation- rated ceilings to complement moderate to high furniture panels can be considered. In areas requiring privacy, ceilings rated for high attenuation
(to weaken sound waves) and moderate absorption, complemented by high attenuation-rated walls are appropriate.
In terms of visual comfort, a study3 in 2011 investigated the
relationship between view quality, daylighting and sick leave of employees in the administration offices of a university campus. Taken together, the two variables explained 6.5 per cent of the variation in sick leave. Highly light-reflecting ceilings contribute to daylight
harvesting and can increase the amount and uniformity of light reflected deeper into the building space. For instance, when the light reflectance of a ceiling is increased from 0.75 to 0.89, daylight levels for spaces four to six metres away from the window are increased by 15-20 per cent. Window glazing can also be reduced by 11 per cent to cut back heating and cooling costs. This is where we need to make the case for user-centred
design, where individual team members consider the project holistically and how people will interact with it. The integrated approach means that an interior is designed
by the whole team at the same time so all options can be con- sidered and improved upon.
1 Health, Well-being & Productivity in Offices: World Green Building Council. 2 Effect of Temperature on Task Performance in Office Environment: William
J Fisk, QH Lei & Olli Seppänen. 3
Daylighting-Bias and Biophilia: Quantifying the Impact of Daylighting on Occupant Health: I Elzeyadi.
www.architectsdatafile.co.uk
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