New research project seeks to modernise thermal comfort standards

A project to create a next-generation thermal comfort index that recognises individual differences and supports fairer workplaces has been launched by the University of Sydney in partnership with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Waseda University in Japan and the Technical University of Denmark.

According to a media release from the University of Sydney, "The collaboration will combine large-scale field studies, human-subject experiments, and advanced data modelling to move beyond the outdated 'average person' model that underpins today's comfort standards. The goal: a modern, inclusive index that reflects how people feel in real offices, [aimed at] improving comfort, wellbeing and productivity while cutting energy waste."

"For forty years, buildings have been tuned to suit an average person who doesn't really exist," said professor emeritus Richard de Dear from the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. "This collaboration is about measuring real people, in real workplaces, and building an index that recognises individual differences. It's good for people and good for the planet."

The communique notes that the new index is intended to provide an evidence-based standard that champions fairness among diverse individuals, integrating physical conditions, such as temperature, humidity and airflow, with personal factors, including clothing, activity and physiology, to predict how individuals behave in a space.

Research lead at the University of Sydney's Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Lab Dr Thomas Parkinson said that rather than hard-coding separate temperature targets for men and women, the team is striving for an inclusive system.

"Our goal is a single, adaptive index that learns from context - what the person is doing, what the room is doing - and predicts how they'll feel. That's how we make comfort fairer and smarter at scale," he said.

The result is intended to promote personal environmental control through fittings such as desk fans, foot-warmers, task chairs with local conditioning and small radiant panels, as well as smart zoning to create cooler and warmer micro-areas, and flexible clothing norms.

The project aims to deliver a globally consistent model, with shared criteria for multinational organisations; clear rules for certification and compliance; and energy efficiency, with less wasted energy. The index is intended to be adopted by designers, engineers and regulators worldwide.

Over time, feedback data is intended to refine predictions to enhance comfort and efficiency. According to the communique, the research period will be extended annually as required by the study design and international standards process.