THERMAL COMFORT STUDY IN NATURALLY VENTILATED COMMERCIAL ATRIUM

Abstract

Building Construction Authority (BCA) have been working on the natural ventilation aspect for Green Mark and has published versions on natural ventilation for various projects, namely residential projects and hospitals. However, as incorporating atriums in the design of commercial buildings are gaining popularity, BCA have yet to publish Green Mark guidelines for the commercial atriums, which can be classified as semi-outdoor spaces. This is particular when naturally ventilated atriums were incorporated to reduce energy usage of the building. This dissertation presents a study of thermal comfort on naturally ventilated commercial atrium, with the case study being done in National Library Building (NLB). The objective is to understand how natural ventilation performance in the commercial atrium affects the thermal comfort. Onsite survey and spot measurements were conducted in the Open Plaza on the ground floor of NLB where the commercial atrium is located. The measurements and survey results were then analysed and regression was conducted to identify the correlation between the factors and thermal sensation vote. The computational fluid dynamics technique was then employed to further investigate the airflow pattern inside the building and the location of the building. It was found that there is an inverse relationship between Thermal Sensation and Thermal Comfort. Even though respondents feel hot in the environment, they still do feel comfortable. This is probably due to the adaptation to the hot and humid climate of Singapore.