Bscience 1 [ARC 2413]

Project 1: Human Perception of Comfort Level

Thermal comfort is defined in British Standard BS EN ISO 7730 as: ‘that condition of mind which
expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment.’

There is no absolute standard or index of parameters of thermal comfort. This is not surprising, as
humans can and do live in a range of climates from the tropics to high latitudes.
So the term ‘thermal comfort’ describes a person’s psychological state of mind and is usually referred to
in terms of whether someone is feeling too hot or too cold.

Thermal comfort is very difficult to define because you need to take into account a range of
environmental and personal factors when deciding what will make people feel comfortable. Perceptions
of this environment are affected by air temperature, radiant temperature, relative humidity, air velocity,
activity and clothing. More general definitions of comfort include a sense of relaxation and freedom from
worry or pain. These factors become parameters where human perception of the thermal environment is
concerned.

Learning Outcomes:


To be able to understand the general principle of heat transfer
1. Identify environmental conditions related to site conditions, climate, etc.
2. Explain the effects of the sun on the thermal performance of buildings
3. Explain the effect of insulation, thermal mass and  air movement on thermal performance of
buildings.
4. Infer how different building material (K-value, u-value, r-value) has different effect on heat gain or
thermal environment in a given space

Report:

Project 2: Integration with Design Studio 3


A building should serve its function: creating comfortable spaces. Nowadays buildings are not only
measured in terms of aesthetic purposes but also how well it addresses the sustainability issues. Thermal
comfort features are seen as basic principles that must be applied during the design stage and not as an
afterthought.


Learning Outcomes:


1. Estimate heat gain in a space and to provide passive solutions for it.
2. Evaluate control of variables such as heat and ventilation
3. Judge the limits of acceptable or desirable conditions (thermal environment) and recommend designs
that control the effects of sun on the thermal performance of buildings (shading devices)

A3 Boards: