An innovative approach to evaluate local thermal discomfort due to draught in semi-outdoor spaces

Abstract

Improving the comfort of public transport buildings is a mean to arouse the public interest in its use. The available studies concerning transport stations with semi-outdoor configurations barely emphasize local thermal discomfort. Generally, these studies produce a somewhat superficial approach to the subject, relying on the direct application of the standards (ISO 7730 and ASHRAE 55). Since the characteristics of most transport stations differ from the scope of the standards, the direct application of these standards does not represent the real thermal discomfort due to draught sensed by the users. The aim of this study is to propose a new approach able to predict the percentage of dissatisfied people due to draught in semi-outdoor spaces. An experimental campaign was conducted in a transport station with a semi-outdoor configuration, where 575 passengers were surveyed about the sensation of air movement, while air temperature and air velocity were measured. Through the collected data, it was possible to propose an alternative draught model (aDR) to assess the local thermal discomfort due to draught in semi-outdoor spaces.