DEVELOPING A THERMAL

COMFORT INDEX FOR

VEGETATED OPEN SPACES IN
CITIES OF ARID ZONES.

M. Angélica Ruiz, Erica N. Correa

INCIHUSA - LAHV, Instituto Ciencias Humanas

Sociales y Ambientales, Laboratorio de Ambiente
Humano y Vivienda, CONICET-CCT-Mendoza,
Argentina
 Outdoor thermal comfort
The study of thermal comfort has been approached mainly for indoor spaces
like offices, schools and homes (Spagnolo y de Dear, 2003).
The thermal comfort of people in open spaces is one of the factors that
influence the habitability of space
The term 'comfort' means a climatic or thermal welfare state, without
excluding other conditions of material satisfaction.
 From a strictly physiological point of view it is possible to
define thermal comfort as an energy balance between the
human body and its thermal environment (Brown &
Gillespie, 1995).
 From a psychological point of view, a definition of thermal
comfort sensation involves the person and is the result of
human thermoregulation process (ISO, 2004).
 According to Auliciems (1989), a suitable definition is one
that includes both physiological and psychological
aspects.

INTRODUCCIÓN
 Outdoor thermal comfort
The authors have conducted previous studies where they have
compared five models of thermal comfort of wide international
diffusion with subjective responses with inhabitants in Mendoza
Metropolitan Area (AMM).
All evaluated mathematical models present very low percentages of
predictive successes (under 25%). These results indicate the need for
a local model to properly evaluate thermal comfort perceived by the
inhabitants of the city of study.

OBJETIVE
 To propose a method to quantify the correlations
between urban microclimatic variables and the
subjective perception of thermal sensation.

INTRODUCCIÓN
Mendoza Metropolitan Area (AMM)
 32° 40' S, 68° 51' W
 at 750 meters above sea level
 Classification of Köppen-Greiger:BWh or
BWk
 Average temperature in July: 7.3 °C
 Average temperature in January: 24.9 °C
 Average wind speed: 11 Km / h
 Relative heliophany annual average: 63%
 Average annual rainfall is 198 mm - 76 %
between October and March

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Field study
 Winter 2010 and Summer 2011
Base 1. Base 2.
 Daytime hours
Closed scheme Open scheme
 667 questionnaires BASE 1 BASE 2

SVF=0,56 SVF=0,62

Were monitored three types of

WINTER
variables:
 Microclimatic measurements
 Individual or physical variables
SVF=0,32 SVF=0,37
 Subjectve responses
 Thermal environment perception
SUMMER

reported on a 5-point scale,

ranging from -2 (very cold) to +2
(very hot), through zero (neutral)
- ASV

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Development of a new mathematical model

 Lineal correlation of environmental variables and individual subjective

responses (Givoni y Noguchi, 2004; Nikolopoulou, 2004; Monteiro, 2008) .
 Mean values of 84 microclimate situations
 Model selection through the Akaike's information criterion (AIC).
 The AIC is not a hypothesis test. Akaike's weight often has better precision
and reduced bias compared to the estimator of that parameter from only
the selected best model.
 We used a "confidence set" of models for which the sum of the Akaike
weights is approximately 0.95.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

New model IZA and subjective responses

THERMAL COMFORT INDEX FOR CITIES DRY AREAS

IZA  1,3032  0,0647  Ta  0,3673  v  0,0110  HR  1,61105  Rad  0,0005  Ta  HR

 Accumulated Akaike weight = 0,9465

IZA values Sensation
 Determination coefficient R2 = 0,8586
> 1,5 Very hot
 Weighted standard error = 0,2555 0,5 a 1,5 Hot

 P-value < 2,2.10-16 -0,5 a 0,5 Neutral

-0,5 a -1,5 Cold
 VIF Ta y Ta:HR > 5 → collinearity < -1,5 Very

RESULTS
 WINTER WINTER SUMMER SUMMER
New model IZA and subjective responses
WINTERWINTER SUMMER SUMMER

100
85 % 100
80 HITS 80
Base 1

Base 1
BASE 1 BASE 2

60
Base 1: closed

60

INVIERNO
40 40
Base 1
Base 1

BASE 1 BASE 2
20 20
SVF=0,56 SVF=0,32

0 0
INVIERNO

VERANO
very cold neutral hot very very cold neutral hot very
1 cold hot
1 cold hot
100 100
VERANO

80 80
60
BASE 1 BASE 2

60
Base 2: open

40 40
INVIERNO
Base 2 Base 2

Base 2

BASE 1 BASE 2
20 20
SVF=0,62

0
SVF=0,37

0
Base 2

very cold neutral hot very

VERANO

very cold neutral hot very

2 cold hot2 cold hot

RESULTS
Conclusions
Purely physiological approach is insufficient to characterize the habitability
conditions in outdoor spaces

Thermal comfort Index for cities Dry Areas (IZA)

85 %
Allows predicting thermal sensations for a population adapted hits
to the climatic conditions of the city of study
Air temperature The IZA model will be useful for
urban planners since a careful
Wind speed design of open spaces can provide
protection against the (-) aspects
Relative humidity and adequate exposure to the (+)
aspects of climate and increase the
Solar Radiation use of them for all the year.

CONCLUSIONS
DEVELOPING A THERMAL COMFORT INDEX FOR VEGETATED
OPEN SPACES IN CITIES OF ARID ZONES.

Thank you all for your atention

aruiz@mendoza-conicet.gob.ar