Test rooms to study human comfort in buildings: A review of controlled experiments and facilities. (October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pisello, A.L.; Pigliautile, I.; Andargie, M.; Berger, C.; Bluyssen, P.M.; Carlucci, S.; Chinazzo, G.; Deme Belafi, Z.; Dong, B.; Favero, M.; Ghahramani, A.; Havenith, G.; Heydarian, A.; Kastner, D.; Kong, M.; Licina, D.; Liu, Y.; Luna-Navarro, A.; Mahdavi, A.; Nocente, A.; Schweiker, M.; Touchie, M.; Vellei, M.; Vittori, F.; Wagner, A.; Wang, A.; Wei, S.
• Is Part Of: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews. Volume 149(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-10
• Subjects: Test room -- Laboratory -- Climate chamber -- Human comfort -- Human-centric experiments -- Thermal comfort -- Visual comfort -- Acoustic comfort -- Indoor air quality -- Multi-domain comfort -- Energy performance -- Indoor environmental quality; Renewable energy sources -- Periodicals; Power resources -- Periodicals; Énergies renouvelables -- Périodiques; Ressources énergétiques -- Périodiques; 333.794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111359
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1364-0321

Abstract

Abstract: Occupants' comfort perception affects building energy consumptions. To improve the understanding of human comfort, which is crucial to reduce energy demand, laboratory experiments with humans in controlled environments (test rooms) are fundamental, but their potential also depends on the characteristic of each research facility. Nowadays, there is no common understanding for definitions, concepts, and procedures related to human comfort studies performed in test rooms. Identifying common features would allow standardising test procedures, reproducing the same experiments in different contexts, and sharing knowledge and test possibilities. This review identifies 187 existing test rooms worldwide: 396 papers were systematically selected, thoroughly reviewed, and analysed in terms of performed experiments and related test room details. The review highlights a rising interest in the topic during the last years, since 46% of related papers has been published between 2016 and 2020. A growing interest in non-thermal sensory domains (such as visual and air quality) and multi-domain studies about occupant's whole comfort emerged from the results. These research trends have entailed a change in the way test rooms are designed, equipped and controlled, progressively becoming more realistic inhabitable environments. Nevertheless, some lacks in comfort investigation are highlighted: some continents (like Africa and South America) and climate zones are found to be underrepresented, while involved subjects are mainly students performing office tasks. This review aspires to guide scientists and professionals toward the improved design or the audit of test room experimental facilities, especially in countries and climate zones where human comfort indoors is under-studied. Highlights: Test rooms: environmentally controlled and equipped space to study human comfort. Systematic review of controlled studies on human comfort (396 papers). 187 test rooms analysed in terms of construction and technical details. Overview of single and multi-domain comfort experiments conducted in test rooms. Trends in conducted experiments and test room-related design.