English Abstract
I. Abstract :
Numerous research studied factors influencing indoor environment quality (IEQ) aspects, but
most of them were focusing on each factor separately. Thus, there is a lack of research on the factors
that affect IEQ as a whole. Studying these variables while considering social and cultural issues is
crucial in the Middle East and Bahrain. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the relationship
between occupants’ satisfaction and IEQ inside an office building in Bahrain and evaluate the social
and cultural aspects of IEQ. The research focused on users’ satisfaction with the overall aspects (i.e.,
thermal comfort, natural lighting, electrical lighting, air quality, and acoustic) and their overall work
comfort within the office space itself. It assesses the connection between the variables and the
hypothesis, as well as the role of personal control and determining IEQ factors in an office building.
To offer a basis for this research, a quantitative method that established an online
questionnaire was distributed randomly among users of selected office buildings, sectors, and office
types in Bahrain. The questionnaire was conducted over eight months, starting with a pilot study in
September 2021 and ending with the final questionnaire, and data collection was done in April 2022.
Effects of indoor environmental quality on user comfort in office buildings surveys had 508
participants who answered 26 questions. The estimated completion time for the survey was 8 minutes,
with an estimated completion rate of 81%. The total number of individuals with complete responses
was 393.
This research aimed to investigate the connections between occupants' satisfaction with IEQ
criteria, contentment with the facility as a whole, and overall work performance and satisfaction in an
office building. Two out of four hypotheses (H1 and H2) were confirmed, and two were not
confirmed (H3, H4). The key results and implications summarize that Males show more levels of
satisfaction when compared to females. The age variable has a significant impact on IEQ comfort
level. The study concluded that age, years of experience, office type, and position are the factors that
affect IEQ. However, clothing type, working sector, and working hours do not significantly affect a
user’s comfort level. Furthermore, Users with total control over indoor air quality feel more
comfortable in their workplace environment. The study found that people who are not sharing the
office with another gender have a higher comfort level than those who share the office with another
gender.
This study's statistical data and results provide various insights. This involves evaluating
design strategies that allow objective-driven decision-making, as well as emphasizing the need of
cooperating across different professions. Different settings enhance the understanding of the quality
and comfort of the indoor environment. While it would be great for offering a broad variety of
architectural solutions to improve the overall quality of the indoor environment, this research adds to
the design process by highlighting the most critical features.
