ABSTRACT
Buildings are complex, interconnected systems; so outcome indicators such as perceived productivity are usually associated with others, like perceived health. In a badly performing office, people with window seats may report much better levels of comfort, health and productivity than those in the middle, while in a better-designed and managed building the 'window effect' may disappear. Although perceived productivity might well be the first variable a researcher might seek to remove from a questionnaire on methodological grounds, from a manager's point of view workplace productivity is one of the most important criteria of success. The lack of a single cause was the reason why so many of these buildings never improved: it was a question of systemic failure. The increasing emphasis on finding proof may be leading researchers up blind alleys. Take two growing productivity killers in office buildings–noise and increasing occupant densities.
