Occupants' comfort and stress indices in a structural timber school building in the Northeast US in different seasons

The study examines stress indices and occupants' comfort in a cross-laminated timber school building in the Northeast US in different seasons. The case study has won different awards for its sustainability credentials and use of structural timber for the construction. The environmental parameters were measured in the cold and warm periods. Thermal comfort models were applied to evaluate the occupants' comfort. The stress indices were computed using the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) models. The average internal temperatures of 20.2°C and 22.5°C were measured in the cold and warm periods. In the cold and warm seasons, the mean relative humidity values were 43.6% and 58.3%, respectively. Lower and higher temperatures were noted during the occupied and non-occupied hours, which can cause warm and cold discomfort. The proposed Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature and UTCI in the warm period are 3.4°C and 3.0°C higher than the values computed for the cold season. The overall results showed that no thermal stress is predicted in the spaces. The study recommends that designers should consider thorough assessments before recommending interventions in buildings. The study also suggests that occupants should be enabled to adjust the thermal environment of buildings outside the occupied hours.