Thermal comfort: research and practice.

Area of Science:

• Building Science
• Environmental Psychology
• Human-Building Interaction

Background:

• Indoor thermal comfort is crucial for occupant well-being and productivity, as people spend most of their time in built environments.
• Research since the 1990s has significantly advanced our understanding and methods for assessing thermal comfort.
• Modern building design increasingly prioritizes occupant satisfaction with the thermal environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize key developments in indoor thermal comfort research and practice since the mid-1990s.
• To analyze the evolution of thermal comfort models and standards.
• To examine the impact of computerization on thermal comfort assessment and building performance simulation.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of thermal comfort research and practice developments since the 1990s.
• Analysis of thermal comfort models, including Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and adaptive thermal comfort models.
• Exploration of advancements in computerization, such as multi-segmental modeling and building performance simulation.

Main Results:

• The emergence of adaptive thermal comfort models, emphasizing occupant control and psychological factors, alongside traditional models like PMV.
• Integration of both PMV and adaptive models into recent thermal comfort standard revisions.
• Increased sophistication in computer-aided tools for analyzing transient thermal conditions, occupant interactions, and building performance.

Conclusions:

• Indoor thermal comfort research has evolved with new models and computational tools, enhancing building design and occupant satisfaction.
• Adaptive thermal comfort models offer a complementary approach to traditional methods, considering occupant behavior and control.
• Computerization plays an increasingly vital role in simulating complex thermal environments and predicting building performance for improved indoor conditions.