Results of studies assessing the relationship between indoor environmental quality and productivity are often divergent. Additionally, these results provide little direction to design and construction professionals for achieving environmental quality that supports occupant performance and productivity. The objective of this literature review was to identify commonly used measures of productivity and their links with factors in the indoor environment related to HVAC system performance.

This literature search identified 262 references, 53 of which were found to be relevant in addressing these issues. As a means to analyzing the results reported in the literature, measures of productivity were classified in terms of traditional and nontraditional figures of merit (FOMs). It was found that office environments are the primary focus of current research and that most studies do not address the wide range of factors that may influence productivity. Additionally, contradicting results were found regarding the relationship between human responses, occupant performance, and productivity.

It is concluded from these results that FOMs can be standardized for specific building functional categories (BFCs) but that site-specific modifications may be needed. To identify FOMs that are measurable and controllable, it is important to identify links between occupant performance and productivity and a set of factors including systems, exposures, and human responses. It is recommended that future research focus on defining reliable and valid FOMs, standardizing FOMs for each BFC, and clarifying the links in human responses, occupant performance, and productivity.