Thermal Comfort & Climatic Zone

Objective

To understand that people in different climatic zones have different thermal comfort expectations.

Outcome

Students will realize that thermal comfort is not a static, defined entity, but a variable, subjective experience.

Requirements

None

Prerequisites

A conceptual knowledge of thermal comfort.

Procedure

Step 1: Initiate a discussion around the idea of Thermal comfort being dynamic in different climate zones, such as: 

1. What is the temperature that students feel comfortable with? Let everyone share.
2. What is the temperature they use Air conditioner on? 
3. Would they keep the same temperature if they are in the opposite climate zone? For eg. Would we prefer 20 degrees in mountainous cold climates? 
4. Do people in different climatic zones have differing definitions and tolerance levels of comfortable temperatures and humidities? Does a person born and brought up all their life in arid climates such as Rajasthan, feel uncomfortable in too much cold, which implies they need ACs at high temperatures? In the same Climatic zone, Udaipur has a difference in temperatures than Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.
5. Why do thermal comfort expectations change with climatic zone variation?
6. How does this attribute of non-static dynamic entity Thermal comfort mould our Architectural elements and design? Why do we have smaller deep windows in dry and hot areas and why do we have big windows in humid coastal areas?

Step 2: Curate the discussion around these questions as a starter and let it be driven as the group wants. 

Step 3: Summarise the gist of the discussion.

References

Fairconditioning’s Thermal Comfort & Climate Analysis presentation

http://fairconditioning.org/knowledge-resources/#200-architecture