Thermal adaptation outdoors and the effect of wind on thermal comfort

Abstract

People use outdoor spaces for various reasons. It is important to create the optimum wind environment to achieve adaptive thermal comfort in a hot and humid climate. To clarify thermal adaptation in the outdoor environment, thermal comfort surveys are reviewed and compared. Semi-outdoor spaces, which have a similar function to the outdoor environment, are also included in the analysis. To clarify the effect of the wind on thermal comfort, indoor thermal comfort surveys are reviewed. The results show that the outdoor comfort temperature is highly correlated with the monthly mean outdoor temperature, indicating the existence of regional and seasonal differences in comfort temperature. The proposed adaptive model can be used to predict the outdoor comfort temperature. Increased wind velocity raises the comfort temperature especially in hot and humid climates.