Comparative Study of Daylighting and Indoor Air Quality in Corporate Office Workspaces with and without Natural Daylight and Ventilation for Health and Well-Being

Tanjina Rahman, Rumana Rashid — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Office buildings are mainly built for the purpose of maximizing efficiency and facilitating organization needs, whereas environmental factors such as day lighting and ventilation are generally ignored. Therefore, most office buildings will have to depend on artificial lighting and mechanical ventilation, thus creating an environment that will most probably have negative effects on the comfort, health, and job satisfaction of the office workers. Since the office workers will be required to work indoors for several hours, it is necessary to have natural light and natural ventilation in order to maintain visual comfort, health, and productivity during work. This paper makes a comparison between two offices in the same corporate office: the first office, which has access to natural light and ventilation and the second office without natural light and ventilation. This study adopted a quantitative research approach. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaire surveys involving employees working in both office environments to assess their perceptions of visual comfort, thermal comfort, health, mood, and overall workplace satisfaction. Environmental measurements, including illuminance (lux) and indoor CO₂ concentration, were also conducted using a Lux Meter and an Air Quality Detector. The findings show that there exists a correlation between natural daylight and ventilation, and the comfort ability and satisfaction of employees. Employees working in spaces where there was availability of natural light and ventilation showed good focus, high alertness levels, increased motivation, and job satisfaction. However, employees working in enclosed spaces lacking exposure to natural light and ventilation complained of fatigue, drowsiness during the lunch hour, headaches, low levels of motivation, and discomfort, among others, which adversely affected their work efficiency and attendance rates. It can be concluded that natural daylight and ventilation are key components in the environment for improving the standard of corporate office environments. This can be done by incorporating the above-mentioned passive design principles in the design of offices, which would lead to an increase in employee comfort and productivity.

Evaluating the Role of Lighting and Acoustics in Shaping User Experience in Gaming Environments

Shrikrishna C, Vidhya M.S., Nalini N.S. — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Modern gaming lounges are not judged solely by their hardware but increasingly by their spatial ambience, particularly lighting and acoustics, which shape immersive and engaging user experiences. These environmental factors influence comfort, focus, and emotional connection, making them integral to user satisfaction and retention. This study investigates how lighting and acoustic environments influence user comfort, focus, and engagement in gaming cafes to understand their contribution to immersive user experience. The study was conducted in two popular Bangalore gaming lounges, LXG Domlur and 1vX Jayanagar, chosen for their distinct lighting and acoustic designs. Data collection combined objective environmental measurements, visual mapping, and user-centred feedback. Lighting levels were measured using the BEETECH B-105 Lux Meter (0–400,000 lux range), and sound levels were assessed with the BEETECH B-401 Decibel Meter (35–135 dB range). Surveys were administered to a total of 40 participants, evenly split between the two sites, capturing perceptions of lighting quality, acoustic comfort, and immersion. Semi-structured interviews with managers and staff provided operational insights, while photographic documentation mapped lighting fixtures, acoustic treatments, and spatial zoning for comparative analysis. The results showed a three-fold difference in average lighting levels between the cafés, LXG at 6.7 lux and 1vX at 21.3 lux, yet LXG achieved slightly higher lighting quality ratings (50% rated “good” vs. 45.5% at 1vX). Eye strain impacted 42.5% of users overall, with a higher percentage of users using one type of display than the other. The average amount of noise measured in LXG was 68.8 dB, and 1vX was 60.8 dB, which is an 8 dB difference, with 52.5% of the users reporting that noise in the background is frequently a source of distraction from the game they are playing. Of these users, 62.5% preferred RGB lighting; additionally, over 50% of these users frequently used headsets in order to enhance their ability to hear sounds coming from the game due to the acoustics that the café does not support. This study of gaming cafés provides the first comprehensive assessment of how both the lighting and acoustics within a gaming café affect users, and the literature currently available does not provide a complete description of the spatial experience of the gaming cafés from the architect’s point of view. Optimizing lighting and acoustics in gaming cafes enhances users’ comfort, playing time and ability to focus, as a result prolonging return visits and increasing customer loyalty. Furthermore, using EBP guidelines to make changes to the gaming café will allow for the creation of an environment that will provide the user with a high level of comfort while also benefiting the business with continued profitability over the long term.

Journal of Recent Activities in Architectural Sciences

Comparative Study of Daylighting and Indoor Air Quality in Corporate Office Workspaces with and without Natural Daylight and Ventilation for Health and Well-Being

Evaluating the Role of Lighting and Acoustics in Shaping User Experience in Gaming Environments