Mahmoudzadeh and teammates add to the literature linking worker lighting control and workplace experiences. The group found that when “participants took part in a 3-phased experiment with immersive virtual environments (IVEs). . . . The results of the research revealed that an energy efficient interactive lighting system that gave the participants a perception of control satisfied the participants in terms of lighting the same as a conventional lighting system that gave them full control. . . . findings suggested that the participants were significantly less satisfied with fully automated lighting system in contrast to conventional lighting system or interactive lighting system. . . . The significance of this study lies in demonstrating that satisfaction can be achieved by giving the occupants a perception of control over semi-automated energy-efficient building systems.”
Parisa Mahmoudzadeh, Yasemin Afacan, and Mohamad Adi. “Analyzing Occupants’ Control Over Lighting Systems in Office Settings Using Immersive Virtual Environments.” Building and Environment, in press, 107823, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.107823
Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.