Abstract

The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in social housing is commonly aggravated due to poor design and construction characteristics. Within Melbourne, a considerable proportion of social housing are high-rise buildings, for which no integrated IEQ studies have been conducted. This paper examines residents' IEQ perception in high-rise social housing in Melbourne. Data from 94 apartment units were collected through a survey. Residents were least satisfied (33%) with the indoor temperature in summer, while they were most satisfied with daylight (72%). The most influential parameter over the overall IEQ satis-faction was "noise", despite being rated the second least important. Sleep disturbances (61.8%) and not being able to open the windows for ventilation (43.4%) were identified as the most unfavourable effects of outdoor noise. Correlations were found between IEQ parameters and the frequency of building-related health issues. No clear relationship was found between perceived satisfaction and importance of IEQ parameters. There is an evident problem associated with overheating in summer, though winter under -heating was not problematic. Differences in the share of IEQ parameters on the overall IEQ satisfaction question their equal weightage. The significance of this study is the integrated assessment of IEQ param-eters and health impact in the Melbourne social housing context.(c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.