Assessing The Impact of Indoor Plants Towards Physical Indoor Office Building Environment in Hot and Humid Climates

Abstract

Several studies have shown that plants with a variety of performance categories can improve indoor air
quality (IAQ). In addition, it has positive impacts on occupants’ concentration ability, work efficiency,
job satisfaction, mental health, stress reduction, and sense of well-being. However, there is few research
that have focused on the impact of indoor plants towards physical indoor environment. Therefore, this
study performs several experiments to examine the impacts of indoor plants on physical indoor
environment in Malaysia. This study further observes the use of five different species of potted plants
and its effects on the IAQ concerning the physical parameters of air temperature and relative humidity
in a classroom and an office room setting environment. Moreover, this paper explores the function of
plants as a natural air purifying agent and temperature regulation, as it helps to cool down the internal
temperature of a building while providing areas of the building with an aesthetic element. This study
involves the assessment of plant and indoor space benefit studies, as well as the description of plant
varieties and characteristics. Finally, the overall findings from several experiments show significant
differences in relative humidity and total target volatile organic compound (TVOC) in the room. With
intervention, it can be concluded that the inclusion of potted plants in a room have improved all
parameters measured compared with that in normal condition. For future works, it is proposed that further
study is done on the form of species, including the importance of understanding the need for positioning
the potted plants in indoor environments.