Human

Comfort

P R ES E NT E D BY
MAY M YAT M O N K YAW
 Human Comfort

•One of the most important considerations when

designing a building is the extent to which it provides an
environment that is comfortable for its occupants.
•Comfort in the built environment is affected by a great
number of different factors which can, if not addressed
properly, can lead to poor levels of comfort, discomfort,
or can even cause harm and ill health to occupants.
•Aspects of comfort include; personal factors, health and
wellbeing, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, visual
comfort, noise nuisance, ergonomics, and so on.
 Personal Factors
Personal factors that can affect the level comfort in a
building include:
•Age.
•Gender.
•Level of health.
•Clothing worn.
•Type of activity and level of intensity.
•Access to food and drink.
•Acclimatisation.
•Psychological state.
 Health and Wellbeing
Comfort is closely related to wellbeing, which was defined by Dodge et al
(2012) as
‘…when individuals have the psychological, social and physical resources
they need to meet a particular psychological, social and/or physical
challenge’.

•Wellbeing incorporates other factors such as employment and relationship

status, rather than just physical comfort within an environment.

•Building related illnesses (BRI) are allergic reactions or infections which

can be directly attributed to being in the building.
•Sick building syndrome (SBS) relates to symptoms of acute health and/or
comfort effects for which no specific cause can be found but that can be
attributed to time spent in a particular building.
 Thermal Comfort

•Thermal comfort is defined in BS EN ISO 7730 as

'…that condition of mind which expresses
satisfaction with the thermal environment.', i.e.
the condition when someone is not feeling either
too hot or too cold.
•When people are dissatisfied with their thermal
environment, not only is it a potential health
hazard, it also impacts on their ability to function
effectively, their satisfaction at work, the
likelihood they will remain a customer, and so on.
 Thermal Comfort
The most commonly used indicator of thermal comfort is air
temperature – it is easy to use and most people can relate to it.
The six factors affecting thermal comfort are both
environmental and personal.
These factors may be independent of each other, but together
contribute to an employee’s thermal comfort.
1. Air temperature
2. Radiant temperature
3. Air velocity
4. Humidity
5. Clothing Insulation
6. Metabolic heat
 Audio / Sound Comfort

•Comfort can also be negatively

influenced by the amount and type of
noise in a building.
•Noise nuisance is excessive noise or
disturbance that may have a negative
effect on health or the quality of life,
e.g. being able to hear the occupants of
a neighbouring house through the
walls.
 Audio / Sound Comfort
Noise nuisance is excessive noise or disturbance that may have a negative
effect on health or the quality of life.
The government defines three levels of noise: The degree of disturbance caused by noise depends on properties such as:

1. No observed effect level – the level of noise exposure where there is no

effect on health or the quality of life.
1. Volume.
2. Lowest observed effect level – adverse effects on health and the quality
of life can be detected at this level. 2. Duration.
3. Significant observed adverse effect level – the level of noise exposure 3. Repetition.
where there can be significant effects on health and quality of life.
4. Frequency. High and low pitches tend to be more disturbing than middle
frequencies.
5. ‘Normal’ background noise levels.
6. Information content. For example speech is more likely to be disturbing
than noise containing less information.
7. The time of day. People tend to be more sensitive to noise at night, when
they may be trying to sleep and there is likely to be less background
noise.
8. The general sensitivity of individuals.
  Visual Comfort 
Visual comfort is a subjective reaction to the quantity and
quality of light within any given space at a given time.
The concept of visual comfort depends on our ability to
control the light levels around us. Both too little and too
much light can cause visual discomfort.
Just as importantly, changes in light levels or sharp
contrast can cause stress and fatigue, as the human eye is
permanently adapting to light levels.
It can vary depending on the following factors: time of
exposition, type of light, the colour of the eye (light-
coloured eyes tend to be more sensitive) as well as the
age of the person.