Vers une reconnaissance de la qualité environnementale intérieure-IEQ des espaces bureaux à Alger

Abstract

The object of this research is the interior environmental quality (IEQ) of office spaces in Algiers. Our interest targets the well-being of users in spaces that have been multiplying at high speed for nearly two decades. In Algiers, this well-being is governed by several constraints: concept importation, material importation, superficial regulation and disrupted architectural production scheme. Under these constraints, the user is far from being the main focus of architectural production. So, the main objective of this research is to give the user his right in high environmental quality by understanding the reasons of being far from the architectural production’ focus. The first observed shortcoming concerned the artificialization of the indoor work environment that results from conceptual and material importation of building envelops and comfort equipment. This generates non-negligible health risks, which local regulations are far from covering. The second observation concerned the experience of users in various environmental configurations of so-called intelligent buildings, through an exploratory survey which highlighted a significant gap between the physical factors of the office space and the "natural" needs of users. However, these physical components can be very expensive to install and even more during the life cycle of the building due to high energy consumption. The health and productivity of users are then disrupted. This finding concerned particularly state buildings, occupied by only one administration, but to a lesser extent in private multi-tenant buildings, occupied by several companies. The repetition of these shortcomings in several buildings testifies to a rupture of the link between the user and the architect whose mission ends with the delivery of the building-object. It also testifies to the absence of accumulation of knowledge that should avoid the repetition of mistakes. The third observation concerned the architectural production scheme where the project manager is in no way obliged, by regulation, to return to his productions in order to check their quality of use. This checking would promote a looped and non-linear architectural production, where the user and his indoor environment constitute the main source of knowledge, more favorable to quality production. After the various shortcomings observed, an outline of solutions has emerged which essentially consists of: revising the training of the architect by integrating post-installation evaluation and adopting user-centered theories; revising the regulations governing the practice of the architect with a view to loop production; revise the health regulations that protect the user; supervising the architect practitioner through local publications, seminars, and training on indoor environmental quality; creating a database of local case studies, etc. This outline of solutions is far from being exhaustive but may be the subject of relevant future research, for the concrete improvement of the IEQ of office spaces in Algier