RP-243 -- Interaction of the Visual and Thermal Environments on the Comfort and Acceptance of Indoor Space PDF

The effect of color, (orange, blue) lighting (daylight, cool-white, warm-white) and wall treatments (light or dark) on thermal comfort was determined for 432 control subjects who were exposed in a environmental chamber which was devoid of these features and for 432 experimental subjects who were exposed in the same chamber after it had been modified to simulate an open landscape office. Two temperatures were involved, 68 FET* and 78 FET* and the exposure was for 3 hours. Skin temperatures were measured and affective responses were recorded on a thermal sensation scale and a thermal comfort scale that was developed from this study. The results showed that the thermal sensation is not affected by the "starkness" or "richness" of the surrounds however thermal comfort was greater in the "rich" environment than in the stark environment. Thermal comfort also was greater in the orange work stations then in the blue work stations. In addition, in a cooler-than-comfortable temperature, lighting with a warm-white fluorescent lamp created a more comfortable environment then lighting with a cool-white lamp. When the environment was illuminated with a cool-white or daylignt fluorescent lamps preference was expressed for a warmer temperature and when the environment was illuminated with warm-white lamps, there was a tendency to prefer a cooler temperature. . The greatest amount of comfort was experienced in the orange work station when the walls were dark. Because of these results, simulating real-world settings in the laboratory, is suggested as the preferred approach for measuring thermal comfort.