Outdoor Thermal Comfort of Two Public Squares in Temperate and Dry Region of Esfahan, Iran

2010 International Conference on Science and Social Research (CSSR 2010), December 5-7, 2010, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Outdoor Thermal Comfort of Two Public Squares in Temperate and Dry Region of Esfahan, Iran Kariminia, S. 1, Sh Ahmad, S. 1,2,*, Ibrahim, N. 1 and Omar, M. 2,3 1 Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, 2 Research Management Institute, 3 Academy of Language Studies Universiti Teknologi Mara Shah Alam, Malaysia * sabar643@salam.uitm.edu.my Abstract - This paper presents a study on outdoor thermal comfort in a temperate and dry climate based on a field survey conducted in Esfahan, Iran. Studies on outdoor thermal comfort have mostly concentrated on street canyons and few on public squares. This study utilized ASHRAE s Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) to assess people s acceptance of the outdoor thermal comfort conditions with a data recording technique and observing thermal adaptation behavior of the people at two public squares in the heritage areas of the city. The fieldwork was a short-term survey during an extreme period of cold winter. The study was performed for a full week at each square in December 2009 and January 2010. Air temperature, RH, wind speed and solar radiation were measured. The preliminary results revealed that people visiting the squares in cold season mostly felt comfortable with the air temperature and sunlight. They prefered a higher humidity condition and a little more wind. Areas in the squares with water elements seemed to have attracted more people with majority of the respondents satisfied with the outdoor thermal condition resulting in higher percentage of TSVs within the three central categories. People seemed to prefer a square that offers longer episodes of sunexposed periods and higher air movement in the winter. Keywords: Outdoor thermal comfort, Moderate and dry climate, Public squares, Microclimate, Adaptation I. INTRODUCTION The rapidly increasing population in urban areas along with the growing emphasis on the importance of quality of life, and revitalized city centers, has led to increased attention to the quality of open urban spaces i.e. outdoor thermal comfort in public areas. In outdoor spaces, people are usually exposed to weather, that in turn affect their mood and behavior. The outdoor thermal comfort also directly influences the perception of indoor comfort; therefore, an inadvertent urban development will ultimately lead to noticeable energy consumption to provide indoor thermal comfort. Urban spaces need to provide comfortable environment expected by the public to ensure continuous visit by the crowd [1]. Designing urban space affects the environmental conditions and outdoor thermal comfort. Indoor and outdoor thermal comfort has been examined by many studies. The outdoor thermal comfort and acceptable thermal level is different in relation to adaptation factors i.e. psychological, physiological and behavioral factors [2]. Equally, most research on outdoor thermal comfort have focused on street design [3-8] and related factors comprising orientation, symmetry, height to width ratio, sky view, galleries, façade shading devices and vegetation. There is growing number of research on urban squares [2, 9-11], however there is lack of significant study on thermal comfort sensation in public squares in temperate and dry regions such as Iran. A. Heat balance model Contemporary thermal comfort researches have utilized two approaches namely, heat balance model that is primarily based on laboratory studies and adaptive models that is based on field studies. Fanger [12] established a lab-based PMV- PPD method that focused on observing a large number of people in laboratory experiments. While Humphreys [13] performed some field studies and concluded that the preferred temperature varies according to the monthly mean environment temperature. A large number of laboratories and field studies have supported both of these methods. The Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Percentage of People Dissatisfied (PPD) method developed by Fanger has been used worldwide to predict and assess indoor thermal comfort since 1980s [14]. Other international standards such as ISO 7730 and the ASHRAE 55-92 also use Fanger s PMV and PPD to define comfort zones. Phenomenal development is the thermal comfort theory is the introduction of the concept of adaptive comfort that offers the potential for energy saving [15]. The theory of adaptation suggests that an organism adapts to survive in a given environment [16]. Thermal adaptation has become a popular area of study to test the extent of its validity under varying settings and conditions. Recent studies have demonstrated that the perception and preferences of people vary noticeably due to differences in physical adjustment, acclimatization and psychological adaptation. Nikolopoulou and Steemers (2003) mentioned that psychological adaptation includes naturalness, expectations, experience, time of exposure, perceived control and environmental stimulation [17]. Among these factors, expectations, perceived control and cultural characteristics are regarded to be the most influential. The success of a public space can be based on the number of people who frequent it [18]. Hence, Nikolopoulou and Lykoudis [10] proposed that the easiest method to assess the 978-1-4244-8986-2/10/$26.00 2010 IEEE 1266

success of a public square is by estimating the number of people using it. This paper describes a research that aims to assess thermal comfort acceptance, observe the thermal adaptation phenomena and explore the potential effects of urban design features on microclimates as well as people s thermal sensation in public squares in temperate and dry climate. II. METHOD A. Thermal comfort indices The indices based on human body energy balance developed by studies to assess thermal comfort are predicted mean voted (PMV) [19], actual sensation vote (ASV) [20], effective temperature (ET), standard effective temperature (SET) [21], OUT_SET [22], and physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) [23]. The PMV, ET and SET are regarded to be appropriate for indoor use. OUT_SET and PET have been fundamentally formulated for outdoor use [22]. While PET allows comparisons of the effects of outdoor thermal condition with a person s own indoor experience [24], PET and OUT_SET indices could be applied for assessing outdoor thermal comfort as they both consider the effects of short and long wave radiation in outdoor spaces on the human energy balance [2, 23]. Lin (2009) recommends the use of PET for two reasons, namely the fact that it is well accepted by recognised evaluation standards, and secondly easy data processing [2]. ASHRAE defines thermal comfort as a condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment [25]. To assess human s thermal acceptance, past studies have frequently used Actual Sensation Vote (ASV). ASV is based on people s thermal sensation reported on several point scale vote. ASHRAE 7-point Thermal Sensation Vote (TSC) varies from cold (-3) to hot (+3). To note, Nikolopoulou and Lykoudis (2006) used a 5 point ASV for the RUROS project data conducted at seven cities across Europe. B. Study areas The two study squares considered in this study are located in urban area of Esfahan (32 37ˊ N / 51 41ˊ E, at an altitude of 1590 m), central Iran. Meteorological data demonstrate that summers in Esfahan are hot and winters are cold. In 1951-2009, Average monthly T a is highest in July at 28.8 C (maximum monthly temperature, 36.9 C) and average monthly T a is coldest in January at 3.7 C (minimum monthly temperature, -2.5 C). The highest recorded T a was in July at 43 and the lowest was in January at -19.4 C. Average RH in a year was 25-60% (Fig. 1). Esfahan is famous for its Iranian and Islamic architecture, adorned with breathtaking boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, and minarets. The sites chosen for this study are two public squares in the heritage part of the city. The first is Emam Square, which is related to the Safavid dynasty. It is one of the biggest city squares in the world designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is a masterpiece example of Iranian and Islamic architecture, thus is one of the prime place of attraction for visitors to Esfahan. Fig.1. Mean air temperature, mean relative humidity and wind speed of Esfahan in 1951-2009. The square encompasses 75000 m². People who come to the square generally seek relaxation, taking a walk visiting historical buildings, attending activities, shopping and snapping photos. The four sides of the square are surrounded by shops and four main historical buildings. Two thirds of the square area has limited access to motorized vehicles. There is no fixed boundary between the areas in the square. There is also a pool in the center, two thin lines of short evergreen bushes along the sides and stone benches provided throughout the square. The area is mostly paved with hard materials, namely stone and asphalt, while some parts are covered with grass. North Fig.2. Map of Emam square (the first case study) Fig.3. Different views of the Emam square (the first case study) 1267

The second, Jolfa Square, is a neighborhood square of approximately 1800m² located in the Christian area of the city, in the vicinity of three ancient churches (Fig. 4). Activities in this square are shopping, visiting, relaxing, cultural and networking activities and passing through as a shortcut. It has a central platform, side porches, seven short evergreen and four tall thin deciduous trees. The square is surrounded by shops and is paved with stone. The main space is limited for passing car. The south side has a narrow road for cars to pass through. Fig.4. Different views of the Jolfa square (the second case study) It should be mentioned that Esfahan has only these two plazas whose access are limited to motorized vehicles and provided benches for sitting outside, relaxing, and socializing activities. The purpose for choosing two case studies with different ambience and users was to study the effect of different environment and design elements, culture and religion on the use of space and thermal sensation. In the first square, there are water, vegetation mass, pavement material, tall building, two important heritage mosques and Friday prayer. While in the second square, platform, porches, loggia and three old churches with many Christian worshippers are notable. C. Physical measurements Measurements taken included detailed microclimatic monitoring with the use of a portable data logging miniweather station. Air temperature (T a C), relative humidity (RH %), wind speed (m/s) and direction (0-358 ) and solar radiation (0-1280 w/m²) were measured (Fig. 5). preliminary results obtained from field measurements taken in winter between December 2009 and January 2010. Measurements were taken for two full weeks, from Monday to Sunday to obtain the results for a typical weekly pattern. D. Questionnaire survey and observation Thermal perceptions are usually sought through questionnaire survey. This study used a questionnaire survey adapted from Nikolopoulou and Lykoudis [10], comprising four sections. However, the 5 point ASV used by Nikolopoulou and Lykoudis is replaced with a 7 point TSV in this survey for more detailed response and the Clo Value noted. The first section collected demographic information, as well as data on the respondent s activity level and clothing worn. The second section asked the respondents of their thermal sensation, level of sensation of and preference for sun, wind, humidity and light. Thermal comfort was rated on the thermal sensation vote (TSV) scale corresponding to ASHRAE scale (i.e. -3, very cold; -2, cold; -1, cool; 0, neutral; +1, warm; +2, hot; +3, very hot). The third part of the survey recorded the reasons that brought the respondents to the square. Finally the crowded areas of the square were marked in the map of square. The survey was conducted during the field measurements, administered by an interviewer. Besides conducting the interview, the interviewer also observed the behavior of the visitors to the square that could be regarded as efforts to adapt to their thermal environment. III. PRELIMINARY RESULTS A. Microclimatic data (physical measurement) A summary of microclimatic information measured at the two squares during the survey period is presented in Table 1. TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF MICROCLIMATIC INFORMATION MEASURED IN THE TWO SQUARES FOR THE WHOLE SURVEY PERIOD Air temp. C RH % Solar radiation w/m² Wind speed m/s First Square (Emam) Second Square (Jolfa) Mean 10.8 47 258 1 Min 6.2 26 0.6 0.2 Max 15.5 73 681 4.8 Mean 11.8 29.2 157 0.43 Min 5.5 9.7 3.1 0 Max 18.9 54.9 603 3.7 Fig.5. Equipments placed in the square for monitoring The instruments were placed at a height of 1.8 m above ground on a tripod. Four points were selected for each square and data were acquired at 15 min intervals at four points per hour from 10:00 to 17:00. The four points have varying elements of microclimatic modifying characteristics such as water features and materials / surfaces conditions. The fieldwork was planned to be conducted during the extreme summer and winter periods. This paper reports the Fig. 6 (a, b) and 7 (a, b) show comparisons between mean air temperatures, mean RH, mean solar radiation and mean wind speed of two squares during field days. 1268

Fig.6. a) Mean air temperature b) Mean RH measured at the two squares. The second square (Jolfa Square) recorded higher mean and maximum air temperature than that in the Emam Square. Jolfa Square is relatively smaller in scale and thus has larger outdoor areas that are subjected to longer sun-shaded occurrences and has some elements such as loggias and arcades. The south loggia is shady during day time throughout the year. The RH and mean solar radiation in Jolfa Square are significantly lower which could be attributed to the existence of water and more vegetation in Emam Square and loggias and arcades in Jolfa Square respectively. Recorded wind speed in Emam Square is noticeably higher that is due to the built form and mentioned elements in Jolfa Square which obstruct wind. Fig.7. a) Mean solar radiation b) Mean wind speed measured at the two squares B. Questionnaire Survey Conducting survey on every visitor at both squares would have not been feasible. The study therefore took representative samples to provide a general understanding of the overall population. Empirical data from 313 interviews were obtained and analyzed. The population demographics were investigated in terms of age groups and gender. Most respondents age group ranged between 18 and 34 years (refer to Fig. 8). Fig.8. Demographics of the interviewees for two squares in cold season. 1269

Mostly the people were at the square to relax (38%). The most crowded areas were near the pool, at the entrance of Sheikh Lotfallah mosque in Emam square and near the road in Jolfa square C. Thermal sensation Fig. 9 shows the percentage distribution of number of subject TSVs at the both squares in the cold season. In this season, the percentage of people feeling neutral (TSV=0) was highest (43%) with 84% of TSVs within the three central categories (TSV= -1, 0, 1). Responses to question about feeling comfortable showed that 88% in the first and 79% in the second square reporting feeling comfortable. Fig.9. Percentage distribution of thermal sensation vote (TSVs) in winter at the two squares. D. Sun preference The entire first week of the field period was sunny except for one day. The response of subjects in the first square showed that in winter the public preferred sunlight to shade. 61% and 35% of subjects in the first and second square respectively were in a sunny place. Results showed that 74% and 70% of those in the first and second square, respectively felt comfortable with sunlight. E. Wind and humidity preference The respondents revealed that they preferred little more wind in both squares. 26% of those in both squares were comfortable with the wind condition, while 46% preferred little more wind. 47% of visitors in both squares were comfortable with the humidity level. However a larger percentage preferred higher humidity. F. Behavioral adaptation Behavioral or physical adaptation is defined the changes a person makes including adjusting to the environment, or altering the environment to his or her perceptions [17]. Hence two kind of adaptation were identified, reactive, including occurrence at personal changes, such as altering one s clothing levels, posture and position, or even metabolic heat with the consumption of hot or cool drinks and secondly, interactive adaptation that includes people altering their environment to be more comfort, such as opening a window, turning a thermostat and opening an umbrella. Table 2 shows some adaptive behaviors where subjects performed to adapt to outdoor environmental conditions. In total, 48% of subjects in both squares chose sunlight, 4.5% wore a hat, 2.9% were drinking and 0.3% were using umbrella. TABLE 2. FREQUENCY AND PERCENTAGE OF SUBJECTS WHO ADOPTED ADAPTIVE BEHAVIORS IN BOTH SQUARES. Adaptive behavior Frequency Percentage Sunlight 151 48 Wearing a hat 14 4.5 Drinking 2 2.9 Opening umbrella 1 0.3 Total 168 55.7 IV. CONCLUSION This study aimed at assessing the thermal acceptance of those visiting the two squares at Esfahan, Iran. Physical measurements were logged and questionnaire surveys were administered. In the course of the field work, most people came to the squares to seek relaxation in the morning. The preliminary results revealed that during the winter period, a majority of the surveyed visitors felt comfortable with the air temperature and the amount of sunlight. About half of the respondents preferred a little more wind, and most preferred higher humidity level. Thermal acceptance seemed to improve with the introduction of water features within the square, whereby such spot within the square have succeeded in attracting more crowds of people. In sum, this paper describes the preliminary stages of a series of empirical data exercises. The outcome of this research is essential as it extends fundamental knowledge on thermal comfort in urban setting, as well as provides a basis to derive microclimatic modification design strategies to improve the public s thermal sensation at urban spaces, particularly in temperate and dry climate condition. Local authorities will also benefit from the findings of this paper. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to thank the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) of Malaysia for funding this research. REFERENCES [1] K. S. Ahmed, Comfort in urban spaces: defining the boundaries of outdoor thermal comfort for the tropical urban environments, Energy and Buildings 2003, vol. 35, pp. 103-110. [2] T. P. Lin, Thermal perception, adaptation and attendance in a public square in hot and humid regions, Building and Environment 2009, vol. 44, pp. 2017-2026. [3] F. Bourbia, H. B. Awbi, Building cluster and shading in urban canyon for hot-dry climate. Part 2: Shading simulations, Renewable Energy 2004, vol. 29, pp. 291-301. 1270

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