Thermal comfort in indoor and outdoor transitional spaces of buildings in Bangkok.

Thermal comfort in transitional spaces of buildings is established from a field study conducted in the cool season of Bangkok, Thailand. IL involved 302 indoor subjects occupying either air-conditioned or naturally ventilated environments and 291 outdoor subjects who were leaving the indoors. The data were analysed by using a calculating method, "Griffiths" values, giving neutral temperatures, and a quadratic regression for thermal acceptability. 111e results show that, firstly, while neutral temperatures of NC-indoor and NV/indoor are quite similar at 27.4°C and 27.7°C, respectively, the A/C-outdoor result is slightly lower at 26.4°C and NN-outdoor, slightly higher at 28.6°C. Secondly, thermal acceptability of outdoor subjects are at higher temperatures than those of indoors. The range of NN-indoor acceptability is 26.6°C-30.4 °C and NN-outdoor, 29.2°C-3 l .6°C. The upper boundaries of NC-indoor and NC-outdoor are at 26.0°C and 27.3°C, respectively, but their lower limits are very low and undefined. These findings suggest a wider range of comfort conditions than the standards and the tolerance of the subjects when they are out of doors. If these attitudes of expectation and tolerance could be applied for the internal conditions, the comfort zone would be extended and would result in using less energy to cool buildings.