Indoor thermal comfort

Central to this study is the significance of making adaptation decisions whose success in achieving resilience to indoor overheating, remain effective both in the short term and long term future. This is in the context of climate change and the varying ranges of uncertain trajectories that may happen during a building’s service life in a developing country (Kenya). The study takes a quantified approach to guiding adaptation decisions by using a methodology that allows appraisal of different design options for an extended timescale (1990 to 2100).

This paper presents the results from the thermal comfort studies at three airport terminal buildings in the UK where seasonal on-site surveys were conducted. The investigation involved extensive monitoring of the indoor environmental conditions along with 3,087 questionnaire-guided interviews with terminal users. The paper quantifies the thermal requirements of the terminal population and focuses on the thermal perception of passengers and staff in different terminal spaces.

It is the goal of climate-adapting buildings to make used of the natural regularity to decrease indoor temperature and improve thermal comfort. In the aviation building in Sanya airport, the control mode of thermal environment—combination of natural ventilation, air modulation by mechanical fans and air-conditioning is promoted. The CFD software PHOENICS is employed to simulate the potential of natural ventilation and air modulation by mechanical fans in different plans under typical meteorological conditions of Sanya in summer.

The ‘Wind-Rain’ House, was designed by the New Zealand architect, Nigel Cook. First built in New Zealand in 1985 its design concept for indoor thermal comfort is quite different from local conventional houses. This building has a courtyard with a glazed roof, which allows more direct sunlight to come into the building. The glazed roof can be partially opened or closed and is automatically controlled to provide natural ventilation for indoor thermal comfort. The glazed roof can also protect the courtyard space beneath against wind and rain.

Adequate ventilation and good air quality are essential for the comfort of occupants and productivity. Excessive ventilation however, may result in discomfort and high energy loss. A study was carried out to examine the influence of ventilation on indoor thermal conditions. The results show that ventilation has profound effect on lowering the indoor temperature, particularly the night time ventilation. Derived PMV is compared with actual votes (thermal sensation) and found that PMV is lower than actual votes.