Kiil, M.; Simson, R.; Thalfeldt, M.; Kurnitski, J. A Comparative Study on Cooling Period Thermal Comfort Assessment in Modern Open Office Landscape in Estonia. Atmosphere2020, 11, 127.
Kiil, M.; Simson, R.; Thalfeldt, M.; Kurnitski, J. A Comparative Study on Cooling Period Thermal Comfort Assessment in Modern Open Office Landscape in Estonia. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 127.
Kiil, M.; Simson, R.; Thalfeldt, M.; Kurnitski, J. A Comparative Study on Cooling Period Thermal Comfort Assessment in Modern Open Office Landscape in Estonia. Atmosphere2020, 11, 127.
Kiil, M.; Simson, R.; Thalfeldt, M.; Kurnitski, J. A Comparative Study on Cooling Period Thermal Comfort Assessment in Modern Open Office Landscape in Estonia. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 127.
Abstract
Local thermal comfort (TC) and draught rate (DR) has been studied widely. There has been more meaningful research performed in controlled boundary condition situations than in actual work environments involving occupants. TC conditions in office buildings in Estonia have been barely investigated in the past. In this paper, the results of TC and DR assessment in five office buildings in Tallinn are presented and discussed. Studied office landscapes vary in heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system parameters, room units and elements. All sample buildings were less than six years old, equipped with dedicated outdoor air ventilation system and room conditioning units. The on-site measurements consisted of TC and DR assessment with indoor climate questionnaire (ICQ). The purpose of the survey is to assess the correspondence between HVAC design and the actual situation. Results show, whether and in what extent the standard-based criteria for TC is suitable for actual usage of the occupants. Preferring one room conditioning unit type or system may not guarantee better thermal environment without draught. Although some HVAC systems observed in this study should create the prerequisites for ensuring more comfort, results show that this is not the case for all buildings in this study.
Keywords
thermal comfort; draught; cooling period; open office
Subject
Engineering, Civil Engineering
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
