Thermal comfort in urban spaces: The case of very warm and dry climate

Most of studies on thermal comfort have been done considering the environmental conditions of the interior of the buildings, but for outdoor spaces the way to consider the sensation of thermal comfort it is not completely defined. A direct application of indoor comfort criteria for outdoor spaces is not appropriate because the variation of the climatic parameters is greater and faster than indoors. Due to seasonal variations, the acclimatization of the people to the local climate, influences enormously their appreciation of thermal comfort. A field study has been carried on at the city of Hermosillo, in the Desert of Sonora, Mexico, where the climatic conditions during the summer are very warm and dry. It has been found that conditions that most of the local inhabitants consider comfortable, are almost unbearable for people adapted to temperate climates. This work shows the first results of the study.