University students’ perception of the sound environment at their home study places

People are staying indoors for most of their time (on average 90%), where they are exposed to different environmental stimuli (e.g., noise, temperature) that are related to the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors (Bluyssen, 2020). Students in higher education spend substantial time at their study places (at home or educational buildings)...

Profiling outpatient staff based on their self-reported comfort and preferences of indoor environmental quality and social comfort in six hospitals

Comfort and health of outpatient staff is important due to the growing demand of healthcare and its crucial influence on society. Previous studies have mostly focused on the perception of comfort and indicated a large prevalence of building-related symptoms and dissatisfaction with comfort of staff in hospital buildings. Unfortunately,...

Clustering of Dutch school children based on their preferences and needs of the IEQ in classrooms

Background: It is well-known that indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in classrooms can have an effect on school children's comfort, health and performance. Unfortunately, information about the school children's perception of IEQ factors in their classrooms is still insufficient. The objective of this study was to better understand school...

Actions of primary school teachers to improve the indoor environmental quality of classrooms in the Netherlands

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in classrooms can have an effect on school children’s comfort, health, and performance. In most classrooms, the teacher is the only one who can take actions to change the IEQ. The objective of this study was to identify what teachers usually do to improve IEQ in classrooms and how these actions relate to...

First SenseLab studies with primary school children: exposure to different environmental configurations in the experience room

To study the combined effect of different environmental factors on children in a classroom setting, 250 children from seven primary schools were exposed to 36 different environmental configurations (‘all’ and ‘fewer’ acoustical panels; ‘displacement’ and ‘mixing’ ventilation; sound type: ‘children talk’, ‘traffic’, and ‘none’; and ‘direct’, ...

SenseLab: a genuine playground for the senses

What is Senselab? The ‘SenseLab’, a playground for the senses, is a laboratory for testing and experiencing single and combinations of indoor environmental conditions.

The creation of SenseLab: a laboratory for testing and experiencing single and combinations of indoor environmental conditions

Research has shown that staying indoors is not good for our health. People spend more and more of their time indoors. Therefore, providing a healthy and comfortable indoor environment is very important. The SenseLab will contribute to the understanding of and coping with the indoor environment. Students, teachers, researchers, but also the...