FIELD STUDY ON THERMAL ADAPTATION AMONG STUDENTS WITH MECHANICAL VENTILATED CLASSROOMS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Adaptation behaviours are living beings’ natural instincts to strive and survive. Global warming has led to the irregularities in temperatures, inconsistencies in climate conditions, to extreme temperatures. On top of technological advances, humans have also adapted on a personal level to regulate body heat and thermal comfort intuitively. However, there is still a lack of assessment tools to substantiate the degree of adaptations influencing thermal comfort by building occupants. Hence, this study will seek to evaluate the correlation of several thermal environment parameters to the perception of thermal comfort within the student survey respondents and draw meaningful associations with adaptation factors. The study will comprise of objective and subjective measurements to support the validation of adaptation behaviour impacting thermal comfort perception. The subjective results consisting of preference and acceptability surveys will then be further evaluated to assess the associations of each different outcomes. These outcomes will also assist in identifying parameters crucial to attaining the ideal thermal comfort experience. A discussion on dominant adaptation behaviours will support the connection between adaptation and achieving optimal thermal comfort while demonstrating the adaptiveness of students in a classroom environment.