Due to more frequent unusual weather phenomena being observed, there is an urgent need to identify and quantify the abilities of occupants to adapt to climate changes. The adaptive comfort model identifies behavioural, physiological and psychological adaptive processes. However, besides giving a statistical approximation of their general effect on the thermal perception vote, little is known about the individual contributions of the three types of adaptive processes to this effect. Knowing such portions would enable us to extend the existing comfort models in such a manner that they incorporate adaptive (re-)actions of the occupant. This could be used for the design of passively cooled buildings, particularly with regard to interaction between occupants and the building (envelope) for individual adjustment of the thermal indoor environment. This article describes first experiences with a new experimental design dedicated to reveal further insights to the adaptive processes along with the description of requirements for the insideoutside climate chamber currently under construction in Karlsruhe.
Schweiker, M; Hawighorst, M; Wagner, A
Quantifying individual adaptive processes: first experiences with an experimental design dedicated to reveal further insights to thermal adaptation
Architectural Science Review