Occupant acceptance of discomfort in an atrium building: to sweat or to shiver?

This paper describes research into occupant use of two cafe/seating areas in an atrium building. In particular it deals with two issues: firstly the distribution of temperatures at different points and different floor levels in the atrium over a year; and secondly the acceptance of thermal discomfort by occupants within those spaces. The study of temperature reveals some interesting variations which can be ascribed to wind and stack effects acting to move air in the space, creating variations between locations and changes over the course of a day. Seasonal variations also occur. Significantly there are many times when applying predictive techniques, occupants could be expected to feel thermal discomfort, yet continue to use the spaces when others are available. A survey of occupants taken over a shorter period of time found that despite thermal discomfort, they have some reluctance to change their location. This suggests that factors other than thermal comfort have a significant impact and some of these are investigated.