Thermal comfort: research and practice.
Thermal comfort--the state of mind, which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment--is an important aspect of the building design process as modern man spends most of the day indoors. This paper reviews the developments in indoor thermal comfort research and practice since the second half of the 1990s, and groups these developments around two main themes; (i) thermal comfort models and standards, and (ii) advances in computerization. Within the first theme, the PMV-model (Predicted Mean Vote), created by Fanger in the late 1960s is discussed in the light of the emergence of models of adaptive thermal comfort. The adaptive models are based on adaptive opportunities of occupants and are related to options of personal control of the indoor climate and psychology and performance. Both models have been considered in the latest round of thermal comfort standard revisions. The second theme focuses on the ever increasing role played by computerization in thermal comfort research and practice, including sophisticated multi-segmental modeling and building performance simulation, transient thermal conditions and interactions, thermal manikins.
van Hoof
Joost
J
Hogeschool Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health Care, Research Centre for Innovation in Health Care, Bolognalaan 101, 3584 CJ Utrecht, The Netherlands. joost.vanhoof@hu.nl
Mazej
Mitja
M
Hensen
Jan L M
JL
D000064:Acclimatization; D001831:Body Temperature; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D004779:Environment Design; D006798:Housing / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D012106:Research / Q000639:trends; D012107:Research Design; D013696:Temperature