Whyte, Stephen, Kaburagi, Ryotaro, Gan, Victor, Candido, Christhina, Avazpour, Behnaz, Fatourehchi, Dorsa, Chan, Ho Fai, Dong, Yue, Dulleck, Uwe, Finlay, Sabine, Zhou, Jin, Hewson, Nick, Li, Tong, Maxwell, Duncan, McNulty, Craig, and Sarnyai, Zoltan (2024) Exploring the Benefits of Mass Timber Construction in the Workplace: A Novel Primer for Research. Buildings, 14. 2072.

Preview

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (5MB) | Preview

Abstract

Mass timber construction has recently gained popularity due to its outstanding environmental benefits and building performance, which hold revolutionary potential for the construction industry. However, its impacts from the perspective of occupants have not been thoroughly explored. This study introduces an innovative empirical approach that explores the potential benefits of mass timber construction for individuals and organizations, with an emphasis on the workplace. We review the conceptual framework regarding how visual and physical exposure to timber construction materials and finishes have a positive effect on individuals and organizations at a broad level. We propose a more holistic mixed-method behavioral approach to studying occupant behavior and well-being by integrating self-reported questionnaires, objective biomarkers (heart rate variability and hair cortisol), and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) measures. Our study offers a novel research primer on the exploration of mass timber construction impacts and benefits for both office workers and construction workers. Participants from different office settings completed pre- and post-occupancy evaluation surveys to assess their experiences, including IEQ satisfaction, productivity, and health. Office workers were located in three different offices: a controlled laboratory environment, an open-plan office, and an open-plan space with a timber interior. The construction workers worked in a timber space for three months and then moved to work in a building with a concrete structure. The analysis included descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and linear regression to compare differences between office settings and assess the relationship between environmental variables and overall satisfaction in IEQ, comfort, productivity, and health. In office workers, in terms of building image, thermal comfort, and artificial lighting, the data analysis revealed significant differences in occupants’ satisfaction levels between office settings. However, the low number of participants affected the results, and some factors were not found significant in relation to the office setting. Among tradespeople, there was no relationship between the building environment and productivity, health, or comfort. However, the results of hair cortisol testing indicated that working in a timber space can decrease the level of cortisol (stress) and have an impact on the productivity of workers. Such occupant’s perspective research is pivotal to informing policy makers, developers, business owners, construction professionals, timber industry stakeholders, environmentalists, and researchers in their decision-making processes. Fostering the future widespread adoption and advancement of mass timber construction.

Item ID:	85800
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2075-5309
Copyright Information:	© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Date Deposited:	11 Jun 2025 02:40
FoR Codes:	33 BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN > 3301 Architecture > 330102 Architectural design @ 20% 35 COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT, TOURISM AND SERVICES > 3505 Human resources and industrial relations > 350507 Workplace wellbeing and quality of working life @ 40% 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified @ 40%
SEO Codes:	12 CONSTRUCTION > 1203 Construction materials performance and processes > 120306 Timber materials @ 50% 28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280121 Expanding knowledge in psychology @ 50%
	More Statistics