More than 140.83sq m of film was recently removed from the Dunedin building following staff complaints about the unwanted effects of the installation, completed at the start of the year.
The university is still assessing the results of the $214,634 project, citing the seasonal impact of heating and cooling loads, and the short timeframe since installation.
A staff member, who did not wish to be named, said the film reduced natural light by 75%.
"[It] made made the building so cold during the winter it was intolerable.
"It also created an unbearable mirror effect, so you could not see out of the window, but looked at a reflection of the interior of the offices all day."
The staff member said the university damaged the health and wellbeing of office occupants with a project on which they were not consulted.
They questioned the evidence the project would improve the building’s sustainability, as a research paper on which it was partly based tested another type of film and concluded results were unreliable.
University director of property services Dean Macaulay said consultation took place at the divisional level in 2021-22, and the university consulted staff that experienced negative effects after installation.
An additional $7451 was spent in lighting upgrades to address concerns raised by staff after installation.
The university acknowledged its consultation to individual staff could have been improved and aimed to do so in future.
A student research paper was part of the basis of the project, and concluded that films appeared to impact thermal transmittance, but that specific results were inconsistent and could not be relied upon.
Mr Macaulay said the the purpose of the research paper was to develop a methodology for testing the impact of thermal transmittance (U value) of window films.
"The project found that the U value of the films was in line with the datasheet values in the application.
"Therefore the stated U value for the 3M product was accepted and the application was recommended."
The building had been absorbing less heat since the installation.
"What has been quantified is reduced solar gain has improved solar comfort in offices where the film has been applied."
There were no plans to remove any more film.
Staff also gave positive feedback, particularly on the reduction of thermal glare and fluctuating temperatures, he said.
He noted the type of film used was already used in many campus buildings.
"We will continue to assess its application to address thermal comfort, energy efficiency and sustainability targets and viability for future projects."
