Conference Agenda

Research has shown that even though the indoor environmental conditions seem to comply with current standards and guidelines and those conditions seem ‘comfortable’ enough, staying indoors is not good for our health. Reasons for this discrepancy might be the fact that these guidelines are mainly based on single-dose response relationships (effect modelling using dose-related indicators) for the physical stressors (odour, light, sound, and temperature) determined for an average adult person; aimed at preventing short-term discomfort, not long-term health effects, ignoring situation-related aspects, ignoring different preferences and needs of occupants. In four steps, the question “What is needed to determine other indicators that can help to prevent long-term health effects?” is answered. In step 1, a more comprehensive research model than the single dose-response model is introduced. Step 2 is concerned with the validation of that model based on a series of field studies. Step 3 addresses the need for methods (and indicators) that enable us to study interactions ocurring at human level (perceptual and physiological) induced by indoor environmental stressors resulting in both short-term and long-term (integrated) effects. Finally, in step 4, it is emphasized that to determine indicators that can be used to predict long-term health effects from ‘short-term’ perceptual assessments and/or physiological measurement requires understanding of how aour body copes with stressors that trigger the (dis)comfort-induced mechanisms and the health-induced mechanisms.

Hot and cold complaints are among the most vexing building issues faced by building designers and users. While better adherence to existing standards would improve thermal comfort, socio-cultural factors are essential to unlocking gains for occupant satisfaction. Examples include cultural norms regarding clothing, building control interface design, and the implicit bias of building designers and operators. However, building designers and operators are ideally positioned to innovate how HVAC systems support occupants, thereby creating more comfortable, functional buildings.

Drawing from case studies and a cross-disciplinary review of the literature, this paper conceptualizes thermal comfort as a social construct that is heavily influenced by the interaction of socio-cultural and technological factors. From this viewpoint, the thermal comfort of a building is best understood as a measure of experience resulting from the ability to meet individual needs given contextual cultural norms, organizational policies, and building design. Ethnography is presented as a tool to understand and account for these factors.

The findings presented offer to advance thermal comfort in buildings by helping designers select more effective solutions, modelers better predict occupant satisfaction, building operators establish beneficial policies, and occupants claim greater agency over their surroundings. Significantly, incorporating behavioral science practices into the design and operation of buildings promises to increase equity amongst occupants.