A Field Investigation on Adaptive Thermal Comfort in an Urban Environment Considering Individuals’ Psychological and Physiological Behaviors in a Cold-Winter of Wuhan

To date, studies of outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) have focused primarily on physical factors, tending to overlook the relevance of individual adaptation to microclimate parameters through psychological and physiological behaviors. These adaptations can significantly affect the use of urban and outdoor spaces. The study presented here investigated these issues, with a view to aiding sustainable urban development. Measurements of OTC were taken at a university campus and in urban spaces. Simultaneously, a large-scale survey of thermal adaptability was conducted. Two groups were selected for investigation in a cold-winter-and-hot-summer (CWHS) region; respondents came from humid subtropical (Cfa) and hot desert (BWh) climates, according to the Köppen Climate Classification (KCC). Results showed that: (1) neutral physiological equivalent temperature (NPET) and preferred PET for people from the Cfa (PCfa) and BWh (PBWh) groups could be obtained with KCC; (2) PCfa adaptability behaviors were, subjectively, more adjustable than PBWh; (3) Clothing affected neutral temperature (NT), where NT reduced by approximately 0.5 °C when clothing insulation rose 0.1 Clo; and (4) Gender barely affected thermal acceptance vote (TAV) or thermal comfort vote (TCV) and there was a substantial relationship between thermal sensation, NT, and PET. These findings suggest ‘feels like’ temperature and comfort may be adjusted via relationships between microclimate parameters.

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Outdoor Thermal Comfort Analysis in a Cold Continental Climate: The Case of a Pedestrian-Only Street in Downtown Toronto

10.32920/ryerson.14658081.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher Marleau

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Computer Software ◽

Thermal Conditions ◽

Field Investigation ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Thermal Indices ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Weather Patterns ◽

Continental Climate

Increased interest in urban thermal comfort has emerged in recent years with unpredictable weather patterns and unprecedented temperature extremes around the world. Urban modelling computer software can help with understanding interactions between built environment and microclimates. However, results of simulations can be difficult to interpret if acceptable thermal conditions for a location are unknown. Using a compound approach of field investigation and microclimate modelling for a pedestrian-only street in Toronto, Canada, this study investigates urban outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) in a cold continental climate. Four thermal indices were used to analyze field data and the results were compared with OTC research conducted in other climates. In this study, the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) provided the strongest annual correlation with the pedestrian thermal sensation votes. A PET comfort range between 9°C and 24°C was found. Survey results were then used to interpret the simulated effect of urban vegetation within the case study microclimate during a summer scenario.

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Outdoor Thermal Comfort Analysis in a Cold Continental Climate: The Case of a Pedestrian-Only Street in Downtown Toronto

10.32920/ryerson.14658081 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher Marleau

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Computer Software ◽

Thermal Conditions ◽

Field Investigation ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Thermal Indices ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Weather Patterns ◽

Continental Climate

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Implications of Building Material Choice on Outdoor Microclimate for Sustainable Built Environment

Key Engineering Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.650.82 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 650 ◽

pp. 82-90 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. Kannamma ◽

A. Meenatchi Sundaram

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Building Material ◽

Building Materials ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Outdoor Environment ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Physical Factors ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Material Choice ◽

The Impact

The climatic conditions in a man-made urban environment may differ appreciably from those in the surrounding natural or rural environs.... each urban man-made buildings, roads, parking area, factories......creates around and above it a modified climate with which it interacts [1].Outdoor thermal comfort has gained importance in thermal comfort studies especially in tropical countries. In country like India, culturally the activities are spread both indoors and outdoors. Therefore the need for ambient outdoor environment gains importance. As there are many factors that contribute to outdoor thermal comfort (climatic factors and physical factors), this study aims in analyzing the impact of building material contribution, in an institutional courtyard. In order to understand the thermal contribution of various building materials and to suggest material choice to designers, ENVIMET is used for simulation purpose. The outdoor thermal comfort index employed in this study is PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature), calibrated using RAYMAN.

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Assessing The Thermal Comfort Conditions In Open Spaces: A Transversal Field Survey On The University Campus In India

International Journal of Built Environment and Sustainability ◽

10.11113/ijbes.v8.n3.786 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 77-92

Author(s):

Pardeep Kumar ◽

Amit Sharma

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Probit Analysis ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Cold Weather ◽

Open Spaces ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Preferred Temperature

Outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) promotes the usage frequency of public places, recreational activities, and people's wellbeing. Despite the increased interest in OTC research in the past decade, less attention has been paid to OTC research in cold weather, especially in arid regions. The present study investigates the OTC conditions in open spaces at the campus area in the arid region. The study was conducted by using subjective surveys(questionnaire) and onsite monitoring (microclimate parameters). The study was conducted at the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Haryana-India campus during the cold season of 2019. The timings of surveys were between 9:00 and 17:00 hours. The authors processed the 185 valid questionnaire responses of the respondents to analyze OTC conditions. Only 8.6% of the respondents marked their perceived sensation "Neutral." Regression analysis was applied between respondents' thermal sensations and microclimate parameters to develop the empirical thermal sensation model. The air temperature was the most dominant parameter affecting the sensations of the respondents. The empirical model indicated that by increasing air temperature, relative humidity, and solar radiation, the thermal sensations also increased while wind speed had an opposite effect. Physiological equivalent temperature (PET) was applied for assessing the OTC conditions; the neutral PET range was found to be 18.42-25.37°C with a neutral temperature of 21.89°C. The preferred temperature was 21.99 °C by applying Probit analysis. The study's findings could provide valuable information in designing and planning outdoor spaces for educational institutions in India's arid regions

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Outdoor thermal comfort in a tropical coastal tourist resort in Haikou, China

Indoor and Built Environment ◽

10.1177/1420326x19862337 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 730-745 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chunjing Shang ◽

Xinyu Huang ◽

Yufeng Zhang ◽

Maoquan Chen

Keyword(s):

Solar Radiation ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Survey Period ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Local Climate ◽

Acceptable Range ◽

Tropical Areas ◽

Autumn And Winter

Considering the importance of thermal comfort in decision-making in tourism, a transverse study involving micrometeorological measurements and questionnaires was performed at a popular coastal destination during the seasons of spring, autumn and winter. We examined the thermal sensation and thermal acceptability using the physiological equivalent temperature (PET). The results indicate that tourists’ thermal sensations varied with the season and the neutral PETs were 19.2°C, 23.8°C and 23.3°C in winter, spring and autumn. The 90% acceptable ranges of the PET affected by the local climate were 19.6–29.5°C during the entire three-season survey period, 21.4–27.1°C in the spring, 19.2–32°C in the autumn and more than 15.9°C in the winter. The analysis of microclimate parameters that affect thermal comfort in three seasons reveals that people expected weaker solar radiation, stronger wind and lower humidity with the air temperature rising, and vice versa. The acceptable range of wind speed was 0.6–2.5 m/s in winter, 0.6–3.5 m/s in spring and autumn. The acceptable range of solar radiation was 0–150 W/m2 in autumn and 0–250 W/m2 in winter. These findings contribute to the better designs for coastal facilities and the thermal comfort of tropical areas.

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In-situ Measurement of Pedestrian Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Universities Campus of Malaysia

KnE Social Sciences ◽

10.18502/kss.v3i21.4998 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nurnida Elmira Othman ◽

Sheikh Ahmad Zaki ◽

Nurul Huda Ahmad ◽

Azli Razak

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Field Measurement ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

View Factor ◽

Thermal Preference ◽

Equivalent Temperature ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Sky View Factor

The present study is intended to evaluate an outdoor thermal comfort at two universities campus in Malaysia. Field measurement and questionnaire survey were conducted simultaneously to assess the microclimatic condition and pedestrian thermal sensation. A total of 3033 samples were collected at seven different sky view factor (SVF) values that range from 0.2 to 0.9. The physiological equivalent temperature (PET) was estimated to evaluate outdoor thermal comfort. It was observed that at a highly shaded area (SVF < 0.35) the respondent’s thermal sensation vote (TSV) are neutral (> 25%), acceptable for thermal acceptance vote (TAV) (> 50%) and no change (> 50%) for thermal preference vote (TPV). For moderate shaded (0.35 ≤ SVF ≤ 0.70) TSV was voted as hot (> 25%), acceptable for TAV (40%), and prefer slightly cooler for TPV (>50%). For less shaded area (0.70 < SVF ≤ 1), TSV was voted as hot and very hot (> 25%), acceptable for TAV (>40%) and prefer slightly cooler for TPV (> 40%). Moreover, the PET value increases simultaneously with the increase of SVF. Results thus suggest that at any given activities such as sitting, walking, and standing also caused effects slightly on the way people thermally perceive it during the on-campus daytime.

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Improvement of the Outdoor Thermal Comfort by Water Spraying in a High-Density Urban Environment under the Influence of a Future (2050) Climate

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13147811 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 7811

Author(s):

Ka-Ming Wai ◽

Lei Xiao ◽

Tanya Zheng Tan

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Prevailing Wind Direction ◽

The Impact

Adaptation to prepare for adverse climate change impacts in the context of urban heat islands and outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) is receiving growing concern. However, knowledge of quantitative microclimatic conditions within the urban boundary layer in the future is still lacking, such that the introduction of adequate adaptation measures to increase OTC is challenging. To investigate the cooling performance of a water spraying system in a sub-tropical compact and high-rise built environment in summer under the influence of future (2050) climatic conditions, results from two validated models (Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) and ENVI-met models) have been used and analyzed. Our results indicate that the spraying system provides cooling of 2–3 °C for ambient air temperature at the pedestrian-level of the urban canyons considered here, which benefits pedestrians. However, improvement of the OTC in terms of the physiological equivalent temperature (PET—a better indicator of human thermal sensation) was noticeable (e.g., <42 °C or from very hot to hot) when the urban canyon was orientated parallel to the prevailing wind direction only. This implies that in order to improve city resilience in terms of heat stress, more holistic adaptation measures in urban planning are needed. This includes the introduction of more breezeways and building disposition to facilitate the urban ventilation, as well as urban tree arrangement and sunshades to reduce direct solar radiation to plan for the impact of future climate change.

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Outdoor Thermal Comfort of Urban Park—A Case Study

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12051961 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1961 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Lili Zhang ◽

Dong Wei ◽

Yuyao Hou ◽

Junfei Du ◽

Zu’an Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Urban Parks ◽

Living Environment ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Climate Index ◽

Urban Residents ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Different Types

Urban parks are an important component of urban public green space and a public place where a large number of urban residents choose to conduct outdoor activities. An important factor attracting people to visit and stay in urban parks is its outdoor thermal comfort, which is also an important criterion for evaluating the liability of the urban environment. In this study, through field meteorological monitoring and a questionnaire survey, outdoor thermal comfort of different types of landscape space in urban parks in Chengdu, China was studied in winter and summer. Result indicated that (1) different types of landscape spaces have different thermal comforts, (2) air temperature is the most important factor affecting outdoor thermal comfort; (3) because the thermal sensation judgment of outdoor thermal comfort research in Chengdu area, an ASHRAE seven-sites scale can be used; (4) the neutral temperature ranges of Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) in Chengdu in winter and summer were obtained through research; (5) and UTCI is the best index for evaluating outdoor thermal comfort in Chengdu. These findings provide theoretical benchmarks and technical references for urban planners and landscape designers to optimize outdoor thermal comfort in urban areas to establish a more comfortable and healthy living environment for urban residents.

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A Seasonal Field Investigation to Perceive Outdoor Thermal Comfort and Thermal Adaption at Malacca Tourist Area- A Pilot Test

10.20944/preprints202102.0370.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Golnoosh Manteghi

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Seasonal Variations ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Utilization Rate ◽

Equivalent Temperature ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Outdoor Spaces ◽

Different Seasons

Season plays a key role in the development of outdoor spaces for pedestrians in hot humid cities. This research studies the influence of seasonal variations on pedestrian thermal comfort on the pedestrian level by means of meteorology and field observations of selected footpaths in the major tourist area of Malacca. This experiment was carried out on selected clear calm days indicative of each season during the development of a research project, and hourly meteorological transects from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and questioned 200 respondents on their thermal awareness, comfort, and preferences were conducted. Adaptation, thermal comfort vote, thermal preference, age, season and hour of the day were significant non-meteorological factors, apart from meteorological information. The findings of analyzes showed that the thermal experience and expectation existed and in different seasons people changed perceptions for the outside thermal environment. Almost 80% local tourist and 55 % international tourist was accepted Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) range affected by the local climate and thermal adaptation. The subjective thermal sensation on physiological equivalent temperature generated an acceptable physiological equivalent temperature of 32.6°C to 36.8°C based on the seasonal variations for Malacca tourist zone in Malaysia. These findings shed light on the optimal design of outdoor spaces for increasing the utilization rate. The seasonal variation must be taken into account so that the outdoor landscape design provides more opportunities for different seasons to communicate with the atmosphere and so enhance thermal comfort and utilization.

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Outdoor Thermal Comfort: Coupling Microclimatic Parameters with Subjective Thermal Assessment to Design Urban Performative Spaces

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings10120238 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 238

Author(s):

Mohamed H. Elnabawi ◽

Neveen Hamza

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Design Guidelines ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Main Role ◽

Equivalent Temperature ◽

Physiological Equivalent Temperature ◽

Shading Devices

Thermal comfort plays a main role in encouraging people to use outdoor spaces, specifically in hot arid and humid climates. The reconciliation of climatic aspects during the urban design phase is limited in implementation, due to the need for multidisciplinary collaboration between desperate scientific fields of climatology, urban planning, and urban environmental modelling. This paper aims to create an integrated interface between the microclimate, outdoor thermal comfort, and design guidelines. The investigation combines subjective and objective approaches, including on-site field measurements, a structured questionnaire using the seven-point American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE 55) thermal sensation votes, and a correlation study of these votes and the microclimatic parameters. Pedestrian thermal comfort was then examined under six shading scenarios, addressing the form and opening of shading devices using computational fluid dynamics. Modelling is based on four dependent variables: wind velocity, ventilation flow rate, air temperature, and the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) index. Findings indicate that the form and location of apertures of the shading devices were the dominant factors in achieving thermal comfort on the urban scale, and led to a reduction in air temperature and a physiological equivalent temperature of 2.3–2.4 °C. Subjective votes indicate that people who live in hot arid climates have a wider range of adaptation and tolerance to local climatic conditions Accordingly, a psychometric chart, for the case study outdoor thermal comfort was developed.

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