Introduction
In order for colleges and universities to state their commitment to sustainability they have begun to join environmental charters, which emphasize the importance of incorporating green issues into education, research, and campus operations. As a result of such initiatives, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) has notably experienced an increase in certifications for higher education buildings since 2002 and by now this sector accounts for over 13 percent of all the projects certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system (Galayda and Yudelson, 2010). This sustainability assessment tool focusses on reducing the ecological footprint of built environments and is purported to have positive impacts on occupant health (Garland et al., 2013). This correlation between the LEED rating system and user wellbeing has provided additional impetus for campuses to continue to certify their new and existing buildings. However, despite the widespread adoption of this sustainable building standard, the actual impacts these green environments have on occupant satisfaction remains unclear because they are rarely assessed post-occupancy (Hadjri and Crozier, 2009). As a result, it has been recognized that there is a lack of comprehensive studies examining whether or how
LEED-certified higher education buildings the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of sustainable buildings contributes to occupant’s satisfaction (Hua et al., 2014). Thus, this study sought to examine occupant’s satisfaction with IEQ in LEED-certified higher education buildings and determine the extent to which this certification helps designers to deliver successful interior environments.