Influence Of Indoor Air Temperature On Occupants’ Thermal Sensation In Architecture Design Studios Of Universities In Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Air temperature is usually the most important environmental variable that affects human sensation in a thermal environment. Determining the effect of the indoor air temperature, on occupants’ perception of a thermal environment in design studios where architecture students spend long periods of time daily is therefore important. The study investigated design studios of six institutions that offer architecture in southeast Nigeria, to evaluate the influence of the average daily indoor air temperature on the occupants’ thermal sensation. The field survey was carried out during the rainy season (April-October) of the year 2018, for a period of seven months in the undergraduate design studios of the six institutions, which were selected based on, cluster random sampling method. Data loggers were mounted in the architecture design studios to record the daily temperature readings during the survey periods while data on thermal sensation was obtained through the administration of questionnaires to the students as the air temperature reading was collected. Pearson product moment correlation was used to test the nature of relationship between the two variables- average daily indoor air temperature readings and thermal sensation. The result from the analysis shows a moderate and highly significant relationship between the two variables. It follows therefore, that the average daily air temperature significantly influences occupants’ thermal sensation in the architecture design studios in southeast Nigeria. The paper recommends that there should be adequate consideration of the number/total area, location and position of openings in architecture design studios to ensure increased air flow, which aids body cooling, and curb the adverse effects of raised indoor air temperature.