ABSTRACT
How can we design a better indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in buildings? The current approach for achieving IEQ metrics in high-performance buildings relies on segregated metrics that predict user experiences with failed accuracy. In real settings, the occupant interacts with the overall ambiance of the environment, combining space performance with its spatial aesthetics and cultural meaning. This chapter builds on Amos Rapoport’s conceptualization of environmental quality (EQ) and proposes a framework to incorporate IEQ in the different phases of a project both as a design approach and a performance-based assessment profile. With examples drawn from research and practice, the hope is to provide a decision-support process for building practitioners and researchers that would conceive IEQ in buildings from a human-centric perspective.
