Addressing human thermal adaptation in outdoor comfort research

Abstract

Thermal comfort of persons staying outdoors is one of the vital aspects that influence outdoor activities in streets, playgrounds, urban parks, etc. The use of the space is highly affected by the microclimate and for over 60 years many methods have been developed to assess the influence of these climatic parameters on thermal comfort. The influence of thermal comfort on outdoor activities is a phenomena that comprises of both climatic and behavioural aspects. After discovering drawbacks in theoretical thermal comfort assessment models, thermal adaptation aspects have received a great attention in thermal comfort research. This paper presents a review of research over the past years, focusing on the perception of outdoor thermal comfort and the use of outdoor spaces with relevance to thermal adaptation. It is intended to highlight the limitations of current adaptation assessment methods and discuss a possible framework to evaluate thermal environment based on physical adaptation