Outdoor thermal comfort: A model based on thermal adaptation in New Zealand

In the recent past outdoor thermal comfort research has moved to investigate the combined effects of sun, wind and temperature with the human adaptation aspects which had led to identifying many contradictions between the results provided by physiological models and actual thermal perceptions in real outdoor environments. These discrepancies are primarily due to human adaptation to the thermal environment. This paper reports a model developed to comprehend and test adaptation aspects involved and how it influences thermal comfort assessment based on peoples’ thermal expectations and preferences. This investigation involves the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), an advanced outdoor comfort model currently used globally to examine its applicability in the New Zealand context. The study reveals that standard physiological models cannot be directly applied to different climates to predict comfort levels for various thermal expectations.