Investigation of work-practices, skills and everyday challenges of building operators with respect to indoor climate and energy

Focus on sustainable construction brings many requirements and standards to ensure energy efficiency and high indoor environmental quality (IEQ). However, these are mainly used in design phase. Commissioning becomes increasingly common to ensure functionality when building is taken into use. However, buildings are expected to stay in use for many years. It is a building operator, who ensures that building delivers healthy and comfortable environment. It is beyond discussion that his/her skills and professional level affect building’s actual performance. The present study had an objective to investigate work skills, experiences and professional challenges of building operators in Danish office buildings with particular focus on IEQ and energy efficiency. Thirty building operation professionals working in 23 companies were interviewed. The results showed that occupant complaints were a driving factor with respect to IEQ related measures. Knowledge of standards and requirements regarding IEQ turned up to be rather superficial. In most cases, there was a lack of a well-defined operational strategy regarding IEQ. The results show that there is a need to provide a missing link between technological part of building operation and a strategic part defining clear goals and practices.