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Thermal Comfort
Human thermal comfort is the state of mind that expresses satisfaction with the surrounding environment and was first explored by Ole Fanger in the 1970s. Fanger's studies of thermal comfort found that not everyone will be satisfied by a particular set of environmental conditions, but in ranges of conditions about 80% express satisfaction.
If very good conditions are in place, a maximum of 95% of all persons might be satisfied.
A number of environmental factors influence thermal comfort; humidity, clear days, heating and cooling days, air temperature and wind.
Most important for thermal comfort is the so-called 'operative temperature'. This is the average of the dry-bulb air temperature and of the mean radiant temperature at the given place in a room. In addition, there should be low air velocities and no 'drafts', little variation in the radiant temperatures from different directions in the room, the humidity has to be in a comfortable range, and the air temperatures in a height of 0.1 m above the floor should not be more than 2øC lower than the temperature at the place of the occupant's head. Also the temperatures shouldn't change too rapidly - neither across the space nor with time.
This is the sort of information that you’ll find presented in Think Brick Australia’s new online Climate Design Wizard. The wizard merges decades of climate data from the Bureau of Meteorology with insights gained from Think Brick’s research into Australian building styles ( carried out with the University of Newcastle). It presents the data in an easy to understand and accessible form that covers different climatic conditions in 27 locations across Australia, and suggests ways in which thermal comfort can be gained by taking advantage of the local climate.
By using the wizard, it’s possible to design buildings which offer increased thermal comfort without relying on mechanical heating and cooling.
Related Information:
Read our research papers on Climate Design recently presented by Think Brick CEO, Linda Ginger at Congress and Industry Conferences.
Climate Responsive Design Strategies
This paper presents climate studies of four different locations (Sydney, Bankstown, Camden and Penrith) within Sydney Metropolitan Region.
Understanding Climate for Energy Efficient or Sustainable Design – presented to Housing Congress 2008
Understanding climate is a pre-requisite for energy efficient or sustainable architecture. This paper provides vital information to optimize natural energies to create comfortable living conditions.
Full Paper_Housing congress.pdf (971 kb)
Thermal Mass Requirement for Building Envelope in Different Climatic Conditions – presented to IBMAC 2008
This study investigates the thermal mass requirement at three different places: Mackay, Brisbane and Amberley in Queensland, Australia.
For more information about building design strategies for different climatic conditions across Australia visit our Designing for Climate Online Guide.
Read more about the brick industry’s position on designing for a changing climate and the policy issues it entails on the official Think Brick Australia Blog and post your opinions on these topics.
