Comfort in Closed Spaces According to Thermal Comfort and Indoor Air Quality

Abstract

In general the comfort of closed spaces means the thermal sensation, the air quality, the acoustic and lighting characteristics of the room. When designing the air-conditioning of a so called comfort room, the primary goal is to provide a pleasant microclimate for the people staying inside. Basically this means that the required thermal comfort of the people has to be satisfied. A person has pleasant thermal comfort if he/she feels that the temperature, the humidity and velocity of the surrounding air, as well as the mean radiating temperature is optimal. In this case the person staying in the room does not wish the surrounding air to be warmer, colder, more or less humid. Furthermore, considering the necessity of satisfying the thermal comfort, foreign regulations and standards take the quality of the air also into consideration. The good quality of the air inside the room can be maintained by letting in clean fresh air in a sufficient amount for the people staying inside. The technical regulations concerning this respect have not yet been properly prepared. The frequently heard complaints of people working in air- conditioned rooms are in connection with all this. They find that the air has an unpleasant smell, they feel a lack of air, or they might have a headache.