Investigating thermal comfort models

Arguably, behaviour adaptation and psychological factors are the main explanations forincorrect predictions of thermal sensation in naturally ventilated indoor environments.While these factors are seemingly difficult to estimate or prevent, how can thisargument be validated? This research project has defined a unique setting whichincludes a special building typology with unique context, which provides real-life fieldstudy that could minimise these factors. Furthermore, a successful field study that couldminimise the adaptation factors in the first place can validate the PMV model, whichwould be an important additional finding of this research.For the general benefit of research in this domain, the studies that provided the basis forthe inapplicability of Fangerâs PMV model in naturally ventilated interiors arereviewed. It is observed by several researchers that the correlation between thepredicted mean vote (PMV) and the actual mean vote (AMV) of thermal sensat ion inair-conditioned buildings, differ from the correlation in the case of naturally ventilatedbuildings. This is the most important argument that provided the basis for questioningthe applicability of the Fangerâs PMV model in naturally ventilated buildings,eventually strengthens an adaptive model. There are different factors that have beensuggested to be the possible explanation for this observation; examples of such arebehaviour adjustments and psychological expectation. However, these suggestedexplanations have never been validated.The research hypothesis is, as the behaviour adjustments and psychological expectationsare the only explanation for the clear difference between the correlation of predictedmean vote PMV and actual mean vote AMV in air-conditioned and the correlation ofPMV and AMV in naturally ventilated buildings, if by any means, the behaviourIIadjustments and psychological expectation were minimized or eliminated, then thecorrelation between PMV and AMV should be similar in both air-conditioned andnaturally ventilated buildings.The unique setting for the real world field study is proposed to be a mosque in RiyadhSaudi Arabia. The methodology of the research is to conduct a thermal comfort study ina mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to compare the Predicted Mean Vote âby applyingFanger PMV modelâ with the Actual Mean Vote of the occupants by conducting athermal sensation survey. This comparison was done in two modes: while the mosque isnaturally ventilated in the winter, and while the mosque is air- conditioned in thesummer, to establish the basis for comparing the correlation between the two modes.With the factors responsible for the difference of the correlation between airconditionedand naturally ventilated mode being minimized in this case study, the levelof PMV/AMV correlations in the air-conditioned mode and the naturally ventilatedmode are supposed to be noticeably similar. That would then provide real fieldvalidation study for the factors that arguably responsible for the difference in correlationbetween air-conditioned and naturally ventilated buildings in the meta studies in thefield of thermal comfort.In this dissertation, the unique parameters of such a case study are discussed, andresearch methods, instrumentation and survey components of the research are explained.The details of the field study are addressed, including the application of the PMVmodel, reporting the actual mean vote (AMV) of thermal comfort sensation of thesubjects and the analysis of the collected data