A Comparative Study on Cooling Period Thermal Comfort Assessment in Modern Open Office Landscape in Estonia

Abstract

Local thermal comfort and draught rate has been studied widely. There has been more meaningful research performed in controlled boundary condition situations than in actual work environments involving occupants. Thermal comfort conditions in office buildings in Estonia have been barely investigated in the past. In this paper, the results of thermal comfort and draught rate assessment in five office buildings in Tallinn are presented and discussed. Studied office landscapes vary in heating, ventilation and cooling system parameters, room units, and elements. All sample buildings were less than six years old, equipped with dedicated outdoor air ventilation system and room conditioning units. The on-site measurements consisted of thermal comfort and draught rate assessment with indoor climate questionnaire. The purpose of the survey is to assess the correspondence between heating, ventilation and cooling system design, and the actual situation. Results show, whether and in what extent the standard-based criteria for thermal comfort is suitable for actual usage of the occupants. Preferring one room conditioning unit type or system may not guarantee better thermal environment without draught. Although some heating, ventilation and cooling systems observed in this study should create the prerequisites for ensuring more comfort, results show that this is not the case for all buildings in this study.

Investigation on Airport Landscape Cooling Associated with Irrigation: A Case Study of Adelaide Airport, Australia

“…Comparing the PETs among the runway and irrigated grass, the daytime (08:00-20:00) average PETs were 39.3 • C and 33.8 • C. Irrigating the grass can improve HTC in the daytime. Nevertheless, the magnitude of nighttime PET variability was found to be smaller than daytime PET, with an average range of 2.4 • C and an average daily variability of 5.5 • C. Water-sensitive urban design features can provide positive benefits for improving HTC and thermal comfort assessment (TCA) through reductions in air temperature and surface temperature, but important enhancements can also be obtained through amplifying the effect of shade and ventilation [13,37,38]. Other studies explored the role of street trees in cooling the urban microclimate and improving HTC, and noted that street tree canopies increases the cooling effect as street canyon geometry shallows and broadens [38,39].…”

Respiratory infection risk based ventilation and room conditioning design method with year-round thermal comfort control in modern office buildings

“…In a study [2] conducted in Tallinn, thermal comfort (TC) and draught rate (DR) assessment was carried out in both heating and cooling period conditions. The office buildings were equipped with different HVAC solutions.…”

On the Procedure of Draught Rate Assessment in Indoor Spaces

“…It was found that DR was below 10% in heating and transient period measurements, but the risk of draught was assessed for the intensive cooling mode. In a later paper [16], it was concluded that avoiding fan coil units for cooling would not guarantee better thermal comfort for the occupants without draught complaints.…”

“…Kiil et al [16] also provided criticism towards the existing standards in terms of DR: they found out that the standards do not specify how to select relevant conditions and locations for measurement of DR. The study has also concluded that the standards do not provide questionnaires for the assessment of occupant dissatisfaction, which are detailed enough.…”