To better understand the influence of urban green infrastructure (UGI) on outdoor human thermal comfort, a survey and physical measurements were performed at the campus of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, in spring and summer 2015. Three hundred eighty-nine respondents were interviewed in five different green spaces. We aimed to analyze people's thermal comfort perception and prefe...

The thermal environment outdoors affects human comfort and health. Mental and physical performance is reduced at high levels of air temperature being a problem especially in tropical climates. This paper deals with human comfort in the warm-humid city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The main aim was to examine the influence of urban micrometeorological conditions on people's subjective thermal perceptio...

A number of studies have been initiated to explore how to improve the soundscape quality in urban parks. However, good soundscape quality in parks cannot be provided without a thorough understanding of the complex relationships among sound, environment, and individuals. As acoustic comfort is considered to be an important outcome of soundscape quality, this study investigates the relative impac...

Original scientific paper In this paper, a method for ergonomic analysis of the seating comfort in the driver’s seat for passenger vehicles is presented in two phases. In the first phase, the comfort seating postures of the driver are analyzed considering the comfort angles for the placement of human body and the necessary space for foot controls in vehicles, as well as the ranges of adjustment...

Human health is becoming an increasingly important issue in contemporary hectic lifestyle imposed at work and by struggle to save time and money. Sitting comfort and quality of chairs which we use for the most of our time have, thus, become essential for healthy lifestyle. Sitting discomforts arise from prolonged sitting on the inappropriate chairs, which failing to provide sufficient support t...

The origin and development of the adaptive approach to thermal comfort is explained. A number of the developments in the application of the theory are considered and the origin of the differences between adaptive thermal comfort and the ‘rational’ indices is explored. The application of the adaptive approach to thermal comfort standards is considered and recommendations made as to the best comf...

The purpose of this study is to design and evaluate a single-layer garment that incorporates different textiles to improve the physiological comfort of backpackers hiking in cold weather conditions. The objectives are to identify comfort needs, to design a prototype shirt, and to evaluate comfort and performance of the prototype over time, in comparison to a control. Qualitative data were colle...

Torsional oscillations of the car body of convertible cars give rise to cowlshake of the wind-shield frame and the rear-view mirror, the dashboard, steering wheel, and seats. Drivers can perceive these oscillation which might impair subjective comfort and driving safety. Intensity reaches from just noticeable movements up to annoying shake of the steering wheel and distorted view in the mirror....

Subjects exposed to uniform environments were polled for their local and overall (whole-body) thermal sensation and comfort. Sensation and comfort for local body parts vary greatly. In cool environments, hands and feet feel colder than other body parts. The head, insensitive to cold but sensitive to warm, feels warmer than the rest of the body in warm environments. Overall sensation and comfort...