International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

Evaluating Thermal Comfort in Intermediate Spaces of Educational Buildings (Case Study: Isfahan University of Technology)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Case Study

Authors
Sanaz Motalaei 1
Meghedy Khodabakhshian 2
Fatemeh Alsadat Majidi 2
Mahdieh Abravesh 3
1 Ph.D. Student, Department of Architecture, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Architecture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/ijumes.2025.2038355.1249
Abstract
This article outlines a preliminary investigation into the thermal comfort of individuals focusing on intermediate spaces at Isfahan University of Technology. The research involved a cross-sectional survey and on-site measurements to assess thermal comfort, and indoor environmental conditions during a year. The study showed that occupants in intermediate spaces in hot-arid climates demonstrate a higher capacity to adapt to their surroundings compared to the comfort standards set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers  for main spaces and they still found these conditions acceptable. The neutral temperature in enclosed intermediate spaces was found to be 23.5 degrees Celsius, which is 0.35 higher than the neutral temperature obtained from the AMV model. In general, the results indicate that laboratory and stable models such as PMV are not suitable for closed interface spaces of educational buildings. So, it is better to determine the specific standard of these spaces with field studies in the form of thermal compatibility of occupants with the environment.
Keywords
Educational building
Indoor environment quality
Adaptive behaviors
Thermal adaptation
Intermediate spaces
International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 23 July 2025

  • Receive Date 15 August 2024
  • Revise Date 08 June 2025
  • Accept Date 23 July 2025