ADAPTIVE COMFORT THEORY : ITS APPLICATION IN THE CONTEXT OF SINGAPORE

Abstract

This paper aims to re-look at the way office buildings in Singapore are cooled through the lens of adaptive comfort theory. The hypothesis is that occupants of the office building would better accept and adapt to a higher office ambient temperature if thermal conditions in the urban and transition spaces are pleasant. Higher office temperature would also mean that low energy options for cooling can be considered. The adaptive comfort theory suggests that human beings are not passive recipients of their environment and we seek to adapt ourselves to the environment we are in. This theory have been tested quite extensively and proven to work and exist especially in hot and humid regions like Singapore, Malaysia and Bangkok. However, tests are limited to buildings dealing with natural ventilation and the domestic building typologies. Through case studies of mixed modal buildings that try to allow for adaption to take place, both in the temperate climate and in the tropics, the feasibility of mixed modal architecture in Singapore is discussed. A 3-tiered approach to applying adaption in air-conditioned office buildings is formulated from the discussions, and the feasibility to this approach is further explored through past research and case studies.