Comfort models as applied to buildings

This investigation is about applying the ISO-7730 Fanger (static) Comfort model to two fully air-conditioned, yet, differently performing buildings, based on research into on-site comfort performance measurements using comfort carts. The results challenge the common perception that the ISO-7730 model is concerned with a narrow temperature band. Regardless of the environmental variations encountered temporally and spatially throughout real office environments, occupants appear to achieve comfort with reasonable success. The paper explores this flexibility within the ‘static’ model, more than perhaps is commonly realised. We consider the possibilities that many of Australian office buildings can operate under much greater temperature variation than expected and that there are mechanisms for occupants to adapt to varying conditions.