THERMAL COMFORT STUDY OF A DESIGN STUDIO IN AN ACADEMIC INSTITUTION IN THE TROPICS

Abstract

Architecture students in tertiary institution are potentially subjected to indoor environmental problems because they spend long hours in design studio during the course of their studies. This study aims to address thermal comfort issues in the design studio in the tropics which commonly uses split air-conditioner units to satisfy the occupants' thermal needs. Hence, the first objective of this study is to evaluate the existing thermal comfort conditions based on environmental indices, comfort indices, and subjective response of the occupants. These data are compared with ASHRAE Standard 55 and ISO 7730. The second objective is to determine neutral temperature and the last is to investigate thermal local discomfort due to draft and air temperature gradient. Three methods were adopted to evaluate the current thermal comfort condition in the air-conditioned design studio: objective measurement; subjective assessment; and computer simulation using TAS Ambiens program. Objective measurement is mainly to quantify the air temperature, MRT, relative humidity, and air velocity. Subjective assessment is conducted using a questionnaire to determine the occupants thermal comfort sensations and investigate their perception of the thermal comfort level. CFD modeling using TAS Ambiens is primarily to predict the environmental parameters and the existing local thermal discomfort. A design studio in an academic institution in Surabaya - Indonesia was chosen for the study. Results show that more than 80% of the occupants accepted the indoor thermal conditions even though both the environmental and comfort indices exceeded the limit of the standard (ASHRAE Standard 55 and ISO 7730). In addition, non-uniformity of spatial temperature was present with no local thermal discomfort due to vertical temperature gradient. Draft condition was found at only some places below the diffuser. Some practical recommendations were made to improve the thermal comfort in design studio.