Study on adaptive model and behavioural adaptation for thermal comfort of Japanese office buildings

^1* Tokyo city University, 3-3-1 Ushikubo-nishi, Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama 224-8551
² Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603
³ Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585
⁴ Mukogawa Women’s University, 1-13 Tozaki-cho, Nishinomiya 663-8121
⁵ Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki 852-8521
⁶ Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Hiroshima 739-8524
⁷ Kansai University, 3-3-35 Yamate-cho, Osaka 564-8680
⁸ Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano 380-8553
⁹ Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 739-8527
¹⁰ Akita Prefectural University, 84-4 Tsuchiya, Akita 015-0055
¹¹ Hokkaido University, Kita 13 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628

Abstract

This study focuses on the behavioural aspects of the occupants in Japanese office buildings. The behavioural adaptations such as window opening, heating/cooling use, clothing adjustments are important contributor factors for the adaptive thermal comfort. Therefore, understanding the behavioural aspects of the office workers can lead to have the guidelines to explain the mechanism of the adaptive model. The main aim of this study is to identify the differences in behavioural adaptation of the occupants in Japanese office buildings. Environmental parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, and so on were measured in five mixed-mode office buildings located in Aichi prefecture were analysed for 15 months’ survey with 35 occupants. Thermal comfort survey together with the occupants’ behavioural survey were conducted in these office buildings. An adaptive relationship can be derived to estimate the indoor comfort temperature estimated by Griffiths method from the prevailing outdoor temperature. The results suggest that the proportion of heating and cooling use is related to the outdoor air temperature. The proportion of clothing adjustment is different for the different modes and are correlated to the outdoor air temperature. The acknowledge of the adaptive thermal comfort and the occupant behaviour of the selected buildings will be fruitful in designing the building with maximum thermal comfort in the future.