Previous studies have shown that indoor environmental quality (IEQ) parameters may have a considerable effect on office employees’ comfort, health and performance. Therefore, we initiated a research program to help occupants identify IEQ parameters they perceive as risk factors for their health in an office and enhance their comfort levels in an office environment. Since we assumed that office employees might have different indoor environmental quality expectations related to their work area and that these differences could be measured, our objective was to develop an office ‘comfort map’ based on occupants’ individual IEQ preferences. Thus, the goal of the comfort map would be to help tailor office spaces to their occupants’ health and comfort expectations. The comfort survey was developed to assess the comfort-related opinions of the occupants, based on IEQ parameters (visual comfort, acoustic comfort, air quality and thermal comfort) of a chosen open-plan office building. The survey also assessed the degree to which the given IEQ parameter was considered a health risk factor by occupants or caused a negative comfort sensation for them. The survey was filled in by 216 occupants. The answers were then analyzed with the help of a frequency table depicting relative frequency. The measurements of IEQ parameters took place in an open-plan office in the chosen office building (a Hungarian subsidiary’s office building belonging to an international company in Budapest). The occupants had different opinions regarding the perceived effects of the IEQ parameters on their health and comfort. Almost two-thirds of the respondents (64.8%) were dissatisfied with the adjustability of the noises and sounds IEQ parameter at their workstation. Furthermore, half of the respondents (50.1%) were dissatisfied with the adjustability of ventilation. Most of the occupants (45.8%) considered noises and sounds as the IEQ parameter that had a negative effect on their health. There were also IEQ differences between different areas of the office space. Based on these results, a comfort map was developed for the office. The comfort map contains information about the IEQ characteristics of each workstation by depicting the thermal comfort, carbon dioxide, visual comfort and acoustic comfort characteristics of a given workstation on a relative scale. Based on the thermal, air, acoustic, and lighting differences between the workstations, occupants can select their preferred workstations when a desk-sharing system works. Although still in its pilot phase, the comfort map could increase the chances for office employees to find the workstation best suited to their IEQ expectations. This could improve occupants’ overall comfort level, which could in turn enhance occupants’ productivity and mental as well as physical health.

This paper presents an empirical approach to design ideal workplaces using the PMV-PPD (predicted mean vote–predicted percentage dissatisfied) method set in ISO 7730 in terms of thermal comfort. The key concept behind our method is that the overall employee satisfaction might be improved if they can select the most suitable desk based on their personal comfort preferences. To support desk sharing, we designed a comfort map toolkit, which can visualize the distribution of comfort parameters within office spaces. The article describes the steps to create comfort maps with methods already widely used, as well as a new one developed by our research team, including the measurement procedures and the theoretical background required.

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER Previous studies have shown that office spaces are priority areas for research. The shocks of recent years, such as the pandemic, have radically changed the lives of office workers in particular, so researchers consider research related to office spaces increasingly relevant. This research aims to present a systematic literature review (SLR) on the relationship between turbulent times working from home (WFH) during the pandemic and outline the possibility of WFH during the pandemic and that the workers will continue to work in the home office. METHODOLOGY The study uses the method of systematic literature review to achieve the research goal. The process provides an opportunity to transparently collect empirical studies on the given research question. The research took place between 2021-2022, with 54 relevant literature items being included for processing. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Our results showed that working from home was and remained an industry-specific option. The competition for talent has intensified in recent years. Employers can get the most out of them, reconstruct their operations and determine what can be monitored remotely. Our results also show that the time, energy and cost of commuting to work are the second most influential motivational factors. In this way, the costs of the employers can also be reduced since they can optimize their office space in connection with the new work organization, thereby reducing their rent and overhead costs. RECOMMENDATIONS The literature review outlined that by adapting and rethinking the experiences during the pandemic, many organizations can organize their work processes more efficiently in the future in accordance with health regulations. Thanks to the shift towards a knowledge-based economy and the spread of Industry 4.0, remote work can be one of the decisive tools for curbing climate change. Acknowledgement: The research project is conducted within the Biomedical Engineering Project of the Thematic Excellence Programme framework. An application for ethical approval for the research methods used in the research "Parameterised comfort in physical spaces" was submitted to the Scientific and Research Ethics Committee of the Health Sciences Council, which granted ethical approval.

Among office workers, the sedentary work-related health challenges are mainly associated with the fact that they often sit for up to 10 hr a working day. Members of the Research Group conducted a research program to assist the office workers of an international telecommunication company’s affiliate in Budapest to enhance comfort levels in the office work environment. The data collection included a Comfort Survey to reveal employees’ sense of comfort related to Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) components and the characteristics of employees’ feelings and behavior during working hours. Moreover, a measurement of IEQ components was carried out and focused on air quality, lighting, sound exposure and thermal comfort parameters. Based on the survey’s results, a Creative Concept was developed to empower office workers to address work-related health risks, notably sedentary work risks. The Creative Concept consists of five elements: a Comfort Map as an IEQ-related application to select a suitable workplace, redesigning concepts to increase the use of lounges, a newly developed work pad to improve personal hygiene in an office environment, recommendations for creating a health-enabling work environment and a workplace training program to raise health awareness. After validation, our Creative Concept can function as a multi-component workplace health promotion method to offer assistance for a wide variety of offices to create a health-enabling working environment.

Researchers have increasingly focused on thermal comfort, examining both individuals’ thermal sensations and the percentage of people dissatisfied with the thermal environment. Most studies rely on the widely used PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) model and the PPD (Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied) value derived from it, both defined by the ISO 7730:2005 standard. However, previous studies have shown that this standardized method only applies under steady-state conditions, which do not reflect the dynamic nature of everyday environments. As closed-loop control technologies gain prominence in building services, the need to evaluate thermal comfort under time-varying conditions has grown. The standard method does not account for the thermal inertia of the human body, which limits its applicability in such dynamic contexts. In this study, we develop a method to estimate instantaneous thermal sensation under non-stationary conditions by incorporating thermal inertia through signal processing techniques. This approach addresses a well-recognized limitation of the standard PMV–PPD model and provides a way to assess thermal comfort in real time. We collected experimental data using a thermal comfort measurement station, a thermal manikin, and human subjects in a controlled climate chamber. The proposed method enables real-time evaluation of thermal comfort in dynamic environments and offers a foundation for integration into HVAC control and comfort optimization systems.

The Roissypole is a complex residential area within Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. There are already accommodations of different levels with bars, cafes and more in this area, but there is a lack of simple connection between existing buildings, which help brings life to the outside atmosphere. The proposed concept is not a simple public facility renew instead of a new social and functional design, which is to reinvent the airport region design to transform the Roissypole district into an appealing enjoyable and lively living environment. While enhancing the life quality for both long and short-term residents, for people to share their life, live in an active way, it also provides passive life and initiative social activities, which form a new lifestyle.