1
|
Zhen M, Zou W, Zheng R, Lu Y. Urban outdoor thermal environment and adaptive thermal comfort during the summer. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:77864-77883. [PMID: 35687281 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-21162-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The outdoor thermal environment is an important factor when measuring the livability of a city. Residents will avoid intense heat by reducing their outdoor activities, which decreases the vitality of a city and increases the energy consumed for air conditioning. Outdoor thermal comfort has a great impact on outdoor activities; therefore, we need to evaluate and design the urban outdoor thermal environments in cold regions to improve the outdoor thermal comfort level. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey to assess the outdoor thermal comfort and adaptive thermal comfort in four different urban forms in Xi'an during July 2019, and measuring meteorological parameters, such as the temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and black bulb temperature. The results are showed as follows. (1) In the cold study area, urban residents generally perceived the outdoor climate as relatively hot during the summer. (2) The participants exhibited psychological and physical adaptations in terms of their thermal comfort. In particular, when the PET was 30 °C, the MTCV was about 1.25 points higher in the later summer period than the early summer period. (3) The neutral PET differs among regions, and it is affected by the climate zone and latitude. Comparisons of our results with thermal comfort studies in different regions such as Singapore and Umeå in north Sweden showed that the thermal comfort is correlated with the regional climate and latitude. The neutral PET is higher in tropical regions. Our findings support the theoretical understanding of adaptive thermal comfort in cold regions and they provide a reference for formulating policies related to adaptive thermal comfort.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meng Zhen
- Department of Architecture, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - Weihan Zou
- Department of Architecture, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - Rui Zheng
- Department of Architecture, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710049, China
| | - Yujie Lu
- Department of Building Engineering, College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Key Laboratory of Performance Evolution and Control for Engineering Structures of Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Intelligent Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Potchter O, Cohen P, Lin TP, Matzarakis A. A systematic review advocating a framework and benchmarks for assessing outdoor human thermal perception. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 833:155128. [PMID: 35405233 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Since the early 2000's, much attention has been paid to human thermal assessment in urban outdoor environments in different climatic zones. Some previous studies have argued that an absence of an agreed protocol for outdoor human bio-meteorological research causes complexity in comparing the studies' results for several reasons: An abundance of human thermal indices, a variety of interpretations of bio-meteorological terms, an array of procedures for data collection and a lack of agreed methods in determining thermal comfort ranges and index modifications. This study aims to review strategies and methods for human bio-meteorological research and to examine their suitability for thermal perception assessment. From 2001 to 2021, 254 case studies assessed human thermal perception by investigating in-situ thermal conditions versus subjective thermal perception, relying on protocols such as ASHRAE Standard 55 and EN ISO 10551 that were originally developed for indoor environments. Fifty-four cases determined different ranges for thermal comfort. Although 43 studies tried to modify indices to various climatic zones, only 13 studies modified the nine PET physiological stress categories and 4 studies modified the ten UTCI stress categories). Thus, comparisons between the studies' results become complicated. Our review points to three main reasons for the complexity: first, the 7-point TSV scales, does not always fit the scales of the applied thermal index; second, measurement procedures do not always represent the local climate conditions; third, certain methods for modifying thermal index scale thresholds are not capable of modifying the entire index scale. On the basis of our findings, we suggest a framework for bio-meteorological research, with attention to measurement procedure, appropriate questionnaire design, careful data control and suitable methods to enable modification of thermal indices. This study recommends applying systematic and objective statistical methods like linear regression and discriminant analysis in order to successfully modify the entire index scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oded Potchter
- Department of Geography, Beit Berl Academic College, Israel; The Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Department of Geography Tel Aviv University.
| | - Pninit Cohen
- The Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Department of Geography Tel Aviv University
| | - Tzu-Ping Lin
- Department of Architecture, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
| | - Andreas Matzarakis
- Research Centre Human Biometeorology, German Meteorological Service, Germany; Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Othman NE, Zaki SA, Rijal HB, Ahmad NH, Razak AA. Field study of pedestrians' comfort temperatures under outdoor and semi-outdoor conditions in Malaysian university campuses. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2021; 65:453-477. [PMID: 33416948 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-020-02035-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Difficulties in controlling the effects of outdoor thermal environment on the human body are attracting considerable research attention. This study investigated the outdoor thermal comfort of urban pedestrians by assessing their perceptions of the tropical, micrometeorological, and physical conditions via a questionnaire survey. Evaluation of the outdoor thermal comfort involved pedestrians performing various physical activities (sitting, walking, and standing) in outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces where the data collection of air temperature, globe temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, metabolic activity, and clothing insulation data was done simultaneously. A total of 1011 participants were interviewed, and the micrometeorological data were recorded under outdoor and semi-outdoor conditions at two Malaysian university campuses. The neutral temperatures obtained which were 28.1 °C and 30.8 °C were within the biothermal acceptable ranges of 24-34 °C and 26-33 °C of the PET thermal sensation ranges for the outdoor and semi-outdoor conditions, respectively. Additionally, the participants' thermal sensation and preference votes were highly correlated with the PET and strongly related to air and mean radiant temperatures. The findings demonstrated the influence of individuals' thermal adaptation on the outdoor thermal comfort levels. This knowledge could be useful in the planning and designing of outdoor environments in hot and humid regions to create better thermal environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nurnida Elmira Othman
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Sheikh Ahmad Zaki
- Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, 54100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Hom Bahadur Rijal
- Faculty of Environmental Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Nurul Huda Ahmad
- UTM Razak School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, 54100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Azli Abd Razak
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Impact of Urban Vegetation on Outdoor Thermal Comfort: Comparison between a Mediterranean City (Lecce, Italy) and a Northern European City (Lahti, Finland). FORESTS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/f11020228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This paper is devoted to the application of the modelling approach, as one of the methods for the evaluation of thermal comfort, to neighborhoods located in two cities characterized by a different climate, i.e., a Mediterranean city in southern Italy (Lecce) and a northern European city in southern Finland (Lahti). The impact of the presence of vegetation in both places is evaluated and compared, further considering alternative scenarios for thermal comfort improvement. The thermal comfort condition is expressed in terms of indices (mean radiant temperature (MRT) and predicted mean vote (PMV)). Results show that at pedestrian level the presence of vegetation lead to an improvement of thermal comfort in summer of about 2 points in both neighborhoods. This improvement is also evident observing the spatial distribution of MRT with a difference of 7 °C in the Lecce neighborhood and 3 °C in Lahti. In winter, thermal discomfort is observed in the presence of vegetation with a difference of 1.3 °C in the Lecce neighborhood and 1.5 °C in Lahti in terms of MRT. However, trees and green cover have the important potential to offset climate change impact and to make urban environments less thermally stressful. This study aims to guide urban planners towards a motivated and necessary transaction towards new green infrastructure whose effect should, however, be analyzed and investigated case by case.
Collapse
|
5
|
The Cooling Effect of Large-Scale Urban Parks on Surrounding Area Thermal Comfort. ENERGIES 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/en12203904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This empirical study investigates large urban park cooling effects on the thermal comfort of occupants in the vicinity of the main central park, located in Madrid, Spain. Data were gathered during hot summer days, using mobile observations and a questionnaire. The results showed that the cooling effect of this urban park of 125 ha area at a distance of 150 m could reduce air temperatures by an average of 0.63 °C and 1.28 °C for distances of 380 m and 665 meters from the park. Moreover, the degree of the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) index at a distance of 150 meters from the park is on average 2 °C PET and 2.3 °C PET less compared to distances of 380 m and 665 m, respectively. Considering the distance from the park, the correlation between occupant perceived thermal comfort (PTC) and PET is inverse. That is, augmenting the distance from the park increases PET, while the extent of PTC reduces accordingly. The correlation between these two factors at the nearest and furthest distances from the park is meaningful (p-value < 0.05). The results also showed that large-scale urban parks generally play a significant part in creating a cognitive state of high-perceived thermal comfort spaces for residents.
Collapse
|
6
|
Empirical Model of Thermal Comfort for Medium-Sized Cities in Subtropical Climate. ATMOSPHERE 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos10100576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study sought to elaborate an empirical model of thermal comfort for medium-sized cities in subtropical climate, based on a cross-sectional survey in the city of Santa Maria, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The research was based on the collection of meteorological, subjective and individual data collected simultaneously in August 2015, January and July 2016, which were submitted to multiple linear regression for the elaboration of the Bioclimatic Model for Subtropical Medium-Sized Cities (MBCMS). The proposed model was validated through a normality test, obtained by the measure of obliquity and kurtosis of the distribution, heteroscedasticity and covariance, as well as by the comparison between already traditional models in the literature, such as PET, SET and PMV, which were calibrated to the study area, and the results observed for MBCMS. The results presented high multiple R-squared and adjusted R-squared, 0.928 and 0.925, respectively, for the proposed model, as well as an F-statistic of 447.6. In the validation, the MBCMS presented R equal to 0.83 and an accuracy score 60% more efficient than the PET, SET and PMV indexes.
Collapse
|
7
|
Empirical Model of Human Thermal Comfort in Subtropical Climates: A First Approach to the Brazilian Subtropical Index (BSI). ATMOSPHERE 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos9100391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The bioclimatic well-being of individuals is associated with the environmental characteristics of where they live. Knowing the relationships between local and regional climatic variables as well as the physical characteristics of a given region and their implications on thermal comfort is important for identifying aspects of thermal sensation in the population. The aim of this study is to develop an empirical model of human thermal comfort based on subjective and individual environmental patterns observed in the city of Santa Maria, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil (Subtropical climate). Meteorological data were collected by means of an automatic meteorological station installed in the city center, which contained sensors measuring global solar radiation, air temperature, globe temperature (via a grey globe thermometer), relative humidity and wind speed and direction. A total of 1720 people were also interviewed using a questionnaire adapted from the model recommended by ISO 10551. Linear regressions were performed to obtain the predictive model. The observed results proposed a new empirical model for subtropical climate, the Brazilian Subtropical Index (BSI), which was verified to be more than 79% accurate, with a coefficient of determination of 0.926 and an adjusted R2 value of 0.924.
Collapse
|
8
|
The Relationship Between Laoshan Winds and Respiratory and Cardiovascular Diseases in Hengchun Peninsula, Taiwan. HEALTH SCOPE 2018. [DOI: 10.5812/jhealthscope.80346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
9
|
Subjective Human Perception of Open Urban Spaces in the Brazilian Subtropical Climate: A First Approach. CLIMATE 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/cli6020024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This research concerns a first approach to adapt the thermal comfort bands of the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), New Standard Effective Temperature (SET), and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) indices to Santa Maria’s population, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on the basis of the application of perception/sensation questionnaires to inhabitants while, at the same time, recording meteorological attribute data. Meteorological and thermal sensation data were collected from an automatic weather station installed on paved ground in the downtown area, which contained the following sensors: a scale gauge; a global radiation sensor; a temperature and humidity sensor; a speed and wind direction sensor; a gray globe thermometer. First of all, air temperature, gray globe temperature, relative air humidity, wind speed, wind gust, global solar radiation and precipitation were collected. People were interviewed using a questionnaire adapted from the model established by ISO 10551. The results demonstrated the efficiency of the linear regression model and the adequacy of the interpretive indexes, presenting results different from those analyzed by other authors in different climatic zones. These differences meet the analyzed literature and attest to the effectiveness of the calibration method of the PET, SET, and PMV indices for the Brazilian subtropical climate. After calibration, the PET index hit rate increased from 32.8% to 69.3%. The SET index, which had an initial hit rate of 34.6% before calibration, reached a hit-rate of 64.9%, while the PMV index increased from 35.9% to 58.7%.
Collapse
|
10
|
|
11
|
|
12
|
Nasir RA, Ahmad SS, Zain-Ahmed A, Ibrahim N. Adapting Human Comfort in an Urban Area: The Role of Tree Shades Towards Urban Regeneration. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
13
|
Md Din MF, Lee YY, Ponraj M, Ossen DR, Iwao K, Chelliapan S. Thermal comfort of various building layouts with a proposed discomfort index range for tropical climate. J Therm Biol 2014; 41:6-15. [PMID: 24679966 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2014.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Revised: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Recent years have seen issues related to thermal comfort gaining more momentum in tropical countries. The thermal adaptation and thermal comfort index play a significant role in evaluating the outdoor thermal comfort. In this study, the aim is to capture the thermal sensation of respondents at outdoor environment through questionnaire survey and to determine the discomfort index (DI) to measure the thermal discomfort level. The results indicated that most respondents had thermally accepted the existing environment conditions although they felt slightly warm and hot. A strong correlation between thermal sensation and measured DI was also identified. As a result, a new discomfort index range had been proposed in association with local climate and thermal sensation of occupants to evaluate thermal comfort. The results had proved that the respondents can adapt to a wider range of thermal conditions.Validation of the questionnaire data at Putrajaya was done to prove that the thermal sensation in both Putrajaya and UTM was almost similar since they are located in the same tropical climate region. Hence, a quantitative field study on building layouts was done to facilitate the outdoor human discomfort level based on newly proposed discomfort index range. The results showed that slightly shaded building layouts of type- A and B exhibited higher temperature and discomfort index. The resultant adaptive thermal comfort theory was incorporated into the field studies as well. Finally, the study also showed that the DI values were highly dependent on ambient temperature and relative humidity but had fewer effects for solar radiation intensity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Fadhil Md Din
- Water Research Alliance, Institute of Environmental Water Resources and Management (IPASA), Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, 81310, Malaysia.
| | - Yee Yong Lee
- Water Research Alliance, Institute of Environmental Water Resources and Management (IPASA), Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, 81310, Malaysia.
| | - Mohanadoss Ponraj
- Water Research Alliance, Institute of Environmental Water Resources and Management (IPASA), Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, 81310, Malaysia.
| | - Dilshan Remaz Ossen
- Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Skudai, 81310 Johor, Malaysia.
| | - Kenzo Iwao
- Nagoya Institute of Technology, Incubation Cebter, Building 2, Room 622B, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya-city, Aichi-Pref. 466-8555, Japan.
| | - Shreeshivadasan Chelliapan
- Water Research Alliance, Institute of Environmental Water Resources and Management (IPASA), Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, 81310, Malaysia.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Nasir RA, Ahmad SS, Ahmed AZ. Physical Activity and Human Comfort Correlation in an Urban Park in Hot and Humid Conditions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.11.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
15
|
Thani SKSO, Mohamad NHN, Abdullah SMS. The Influence of Urban Landscape Morphology on the Temperature Distribution of Hot-Humid Urban Centre. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|