Health & wellbeing
2 min

Better thermal comfort

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Thermal comfort is influenced by many factors, such as temperature, humidity, or air velocity. In our approach, buildings must keep the ideal indoor temperature all year, using very little energy. 

 

Did you know?

175

million people were exposed to heatwaves in 2015

 

11%

lower performance under thermal stress

FAQ

What is thermal comfort?

  • Definition (source: ASHRAE): that condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment and is assessed by subjective evaluation

  • Variations of thermal sensitivity from one person to the other, but global principles behind thermal comfort are universal

  • Can be influenced by localized aspects, such as draughts, vertical air temperature differences, floor temperature, activity levels

  • Impacts of thermal comfort: affects people mood, performance and productivity. Especially true for overheating

How to improve it?

  • Identify and assess risk factors related to the site location (building orientation, urban microclimate, ...) and to the building design (insulation, glazing ratio, etc)

  • Design for comfortable thermal solutions, both the building (envelope, structure, servicing) and the landscape (presence of vegetation and water features)

  • Take into account site-specific conditions (local weather data, urban heat island effect, prevailing winds, ...)

How do we act?

Our available solutions:

  • Glazing to let sun in or block it out

  • Insulation to reduce heat loss or summer heat gains

  • Plasters and plasterboards to improve thermal comfort

  • Smart membranes to improve air tightness and manage moisture

  • Renders that insulate and provide weather defense

  • Green roof

  • Ventilated ceilings to enhance thermal efficiency

  • Floor-covering materials that influence the surface temperature perception by occupants