published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Convection at the interior surface of a building represents a significant portion of the heat transfer in office buildings with large glazing areas. While a large number of these office buildings utilize ceiling slot diffusers at the glazed building perimeter, convection correlations specific to these diffusers have not yet been investigated. This paper describes convection correlations developed for ceiling slot diffusers and examines the effect of temperature, various window geometries, and diffuser jet momentum on these correlations. The paper also examines the effect of venetian blinds on the overall correlations at various blind angle configurations: open, partially open, and closed. The results of the examined phenomena are validated in both heating and cooling conditions. All together, this paper represents the effort of over 100 individual experiments. The results show that forced convection is dominant at all air flow rates, and correlations are developed as a function of air volumetric flow rate with supply air temperature utilized as the reference. The correlations are found to rely only on window position, and are independent of temperature difference between surface and supply, diffuser position, and diffuser jet momentum. With respect to the blinds, the only relevant parameter is the angle of the blinds except when the blinds are open. When the blinds are open and at 45º, convective heat transfer is enhanced. Conversely, convection is decreased when the blinds are closed and at -45º. There is also a decrease in the convective heat transfer with a full window in contrast to a half window when the blinds are open. Finally, there is little difference between the convection correlations developed for heated and cooled environments. / text

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It has been assumed that there are disagreements as to the role of the office manager in different types and sizes of organizations in the U.S.A. and Bangladesh. It has also been assumed that there are deficiencies in the techniques of office management in the Bangladesh Sugar mills corporation. This thesis has been undertaken to determine those deficiencies in the techniques of office management used in Bangladesh sugar mills as compared to those used in the U.S.A.In addition, the thesis discussed the extent of variation in the use of organization charts, the extent of central lines of promotion, and the extent of unionization of the clerical force between these two countries. Explanation of the variations have also been given.

Work-related stress is an issue of growing concern around the world.[1] The relationship between work stress and individuals’ psychological and physical health is well acknowledged.[2] In the survey of “stress in the workplace” conducted by American Psychological Association in 2012, two in five (41%) of employed adults report that they typically feel stressed during the workday, up from 36% in 2011, while less than six in ten (58%) report that they have the resources to manage work stress.[3] Historically, Central Business Districts are a focal point of cities, and are occupied by a large group of office buildings and a number of retail spaces. According to Elsbach and Bechky (2007), office workers regularly leave their offices in search of more relaxed, creative environments.[4] However, there is limited "third space" to serve office workers' daily life in the central business district. Most of the design research about wellness of office workers have done focus on the spaces in which people work during office hours. Consideration for office workers in the CBD after office hours is relatively rare. What else is needed to support the life of the office worker, and what kind of spaces they are looking for after hours. Several primary research methods were adopted. First, a survey of research on how the design of traditionally planned CBDs fails to support wellness of office workers was made. Then, the thesis examined what is needed to support the wellness of office workers. In order to make it be specific to the office workers in the CBD of Richmond, qualitative methodology, including interviews and video records of the daily CBD living habits were made. In addition, case studies of recently done CBDs that tackle this question. The Shibaura House, designed by Kazuyo Sejima, located in the business district of Tokyo in Japan, will serve as a primary case study. There are three aims in this research. First is the design of a series of mixeduse spaces in an existing building in the Central Business District of Richmond to support the life of office workers after office hours. It also aims to improve wellness of the office workers in the CBD of Richmond, and try to define the CBD in a new way. The preliminary results for this research indicates the importance of the concern for office workers after hours. It is necessary to focus on the practical effect of the mixed-use building on reducing work stress, improving office workers’ health and enhancing wellness of office workers.