Comfort, climatic background and adaptation time: first insights from a post-occupancy evaluation in multicultural workplaces

One of the effects of globalization and work mobility is the increasing multiculturalism in the workplace. While contemporary design policies for energy efficiency and comfort regulations are moving towards the adoption of models customized for local communities, consideration on the coexistence of people with different origins is underestimated in the current comfort debate. The aim of this study is to show whether building occupants' comfort rating can be affected by their climatic background as well as their duration of living in the current country of residence. A post-occupancy evaluation (POE) was carried out in two office buildings located in Switzerland accounting for a high rate of international employees. Questionnaires were distributed among the building occupants with the aim to investigate, among other things, their satisfaction with temperature, air quality, lighting, noise, view to the outside and privacy. With regard to thermal comfort and air quality, the results show that indeed people's rating varied significantly according to their climate of origin as well as with the time span spent in the country. However, no statistically significant differences were found in terms of their satisfaction level with the other above-mentioned comfort factors. Overall, the study provides new insights on the relationship between comfort perception, cultural background and people's adaptive behavior, raising questions about the appropriateness of current comfort models and design strategies to achieve adequate environmental conditions in workplaces.