other climatic zones. The investigation of the spaces was made in terms of the thermal perception of building occupants of their environments. The methodology used for establishing the thermal comfort criteria was the “Field-Studies” technique.
A paradigm study was carried out by field surveys of transitional spaces of selected buildings (two N/V and three A/C) in Bangkok, Thailand. There were 1143 subjects in total in both cool and hot seasons. The findings revealed that the human subjects could achieve comfort at relatively higher air temperatures, compared with the recommendations from international standards. The subjects’ thermal expectations and sensations reflected the prevailing temperatures and their preferences were for cooler environments. The adaptive actions they suggested for cooling were by both active and passive means, depending upon the acclimatisation and available methods, such as using A/C or increasing air movement. For cool discomfort, the adaptations were to increase either clothing insulation or metabolic activity level.
This comfort study produces an Adaptive Model and the neutral temperature (Tn) can be estimated using a knowledge of the mean air temperature (Ta) of a group of subjects. The equation is:
Tn = 19.1+0.30 Ta (eq. 9.3)
Some techniques to improve thermal comfort (i.e., adaptive errors) and applications of the results from research to use in practice are suggested. It shows that transitional spaces can be used as a mitigation feature in tropical architecture. Recommendations for design criteria to improve thermal performance of transitional spaces in buildings are also made. These include: east orientation, less exposure, increasing spaces, light materials, and practical ventilation.