Open AccessThe influence of perceived environmental quality on thermal comfort in an outdoor urban environment during hot summer
Author(s) -
Kevin Ka-Lun Lau,
Chun Yin Choi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of physics. conference series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1742-6596
pISSN - 1742-6588
DOI - 10.1088/1742-6596/2042/1/012047
Subject(s) - thermal comfort , thermal sensation , environmental quality , microclimate , architectural engineering , human health , level design , psychology , environmental science , applied psychology , environmental health , medicine , engineering , ecology , geography , meteorology , multimedia , computer science , game design , biology
Thermal comfort in outdoor spaces is essential for human health and human wellbeing. A comfortable outdoor space enhances urban livability and sustainability. Previous studies on outdoor human thermal comfort highlighted that apart from the microclimate conditions, the psychological and physiological factors play an important role in human thermal comfort. The influence of environmental quality on human thermal comfort is being examined in this paper. A survey with a total of 1842 thermal comfort responses was conducted during a hot summer in Hong Kong. Perceived aesthetic and acoustic quality votes are strongly associated with Thermal Sensation Votes (TSV). Thermal Comfort Votes (TCV) in the satisfied aesthetic group and the satisfied acoustic group are significantly higher than that in the not satisfied group. A sensation of comfort was confirmed by 39.8% and 38.4% of participants in the satisfied aesthetic group and the satisfied acoustic group, while only 22.2% and 23.9% of the members of the not satisfied group felt comfortable. The study suggested that the perceived environmental qualities are highly associated with thermal sensation and thermal comfort, and a beautiful and quiet environment can improve the thermal comfort and thermal tolerance.