Field Evaluation of Thermal Comfort and Indoor Environment Quality for a Hospital in a Hot and Humid Climate ✓ Most Recent

It is vital but sometimes challenging to provide suitable thermal comfort condition and appropriate indoor environment quality in hospital building because of widely varying conditions demanded for different types of occupants. The objective of this study is to present the field evaluation of thermal comfort and indoor environment quality for a hospital building in Taiwan by using questionnaires and field measurements as well. The results from 403 effective questionnaires from hospital staffs showed that 37.73% felt slightly hot under fully operation of HVAC system. 51.61% of occupants were unfavorable for the movement of air circulation. Air movement sensation votes and preferences have been analyzed comprehensively according to the field survey data. Field measurements including thermal comfort parameters (temperature, humidity, global temperature and air velocity) and indoor air quality variables (CO2 and TVOC concentration) has been conducted simultaneously and extensively for the hospital. Correlations between air movement sensation and preferences have been proposed to examine the relationship between thermal comfort and indoor environment quality. The modified operative temperature of 22.9-26.3°C (73.2-79.3°F) obtained from questionnaires votes and field measurement data revealed operative temperature about 1°C (1.8°F) lower than ASHRAE comfortable zone is favorable for the occupants in tropical hospital. It is expected that a more robust investigation of comfortable indoor environment specific for hospital building under hot and humid climate. See more