United States. The study, dubbed "The Impact of Green Buildings on Cognitive Function," found that employees' cognitive performance on average yields 101% higher in green building environments with improved ventilation compared to a conventional building environment.
The double-blind study assessed the cognitive performance of the 24 participants who experienced conditions in a laboratory environment that simulate those found in conventional and green buildings, as well as green buildings with improved ventilation.
The researchers measured cognitive function across nine functional domains, including basic, applied, and centered activity levels; orientation tasks; crisis response; search for information; use of information; amplitude of focus; and strategy.
The most important improvements in cognitive function test scores occurred in the areas of crisis response, use of information, and strategy.
• Crisis response outcomes were 97% higher for the natural environment and 131% higher for the green environment with increased ventilation and lower carbon dioxide levels compared to the conventional environment.
• The results in the use of Information in the improved green and green environments were 172 and 299% more than in the conventional environment, respectively.
• For the strategy, the improved green and green scores were 183 and 288% higher than the conventional environment.
The report was conducted by researchers from Harvard University, Suny Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University.
