Study on comfort temperature in Autumn season of naturally ventilated office building in Kathmandu
Prativa Lamsal1*, Sushil Bajracharya1, H. B. Rijal2
1: Department of Architecture, Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal;
2: Department of Restoration Ecology and Built Environment, Tokyo City University, Yokohama, Japan
DOI: 10.62744/CATE.45273.1182-490-498
Email: lamsalprativa@gmail.com
Abstract:
Considering the strong connection between thermal comfort and productivity, it is crucial to establish
guidelines for creating a comfortable indoor environment in office buildings. As one of the rapidly growing metropolitan areas in Southeast Asia, Kathmandu valley has witnessed notable changes in land use and cover, particularly in the commercial sector. In this context, we conducted a thermal comfort study in the summer season to determine the comfort temperature in free-running office buildings. A total of 148 votes have been collected from a questionnaire survey from four free-running office buildings. Simultaneously, we measured the thermal environment, including air temperature, globe temperature, and relative humidity. We have calculated the comfort temperature from Griffiths' method and found the comfort temperature as 26.9 C. When the fan is on, the comfort temperature is 27.5 C which is 1.3 C higher than when fan is off. These findings provide valuable insights for creating a comfortable indoor environment in office buildings in Kathmandu valley during the summer season.
Keywords: Office Building, Free Running, Griffiths' Method, Comfort Temperature