Thermal Comfort in a Naturally Ventilated Office Building in Karlsruhe, Germany - Results of a Survey

SUMMARY In order to compare measurements and subjective votes on thermal comfort in a nonconditioned indoor environment under German climate conditions, a field survey was carried out in an office and laboratory building in Karlsruhe during July 2005. Over a period of 4 weeks 50 subjects filled in questionnaires twice a day every Tuesday and Thursday and accompanying measurements were carried out at the workplaces. 90% of the votes on thermal sensation proofed the room temperatures to be "just right" or "slightly warm"; these votes cover ranges of more than 5 Kelvin of the operative temperature and also include 7.5% temperatures above 27°C. About 75% of all votes rated the indoor climate neutral or better although the room temperatures showed fluctuations in space (rooms of the building) and time (period of the study).