Thermal pleasure inside solar screened spaces: An experimental study to explore alliesthesia in architecture

Controlled non-uniform indoor thermal environments have the potential to evoke thermal pleasure in occupants as explained by the psychophysiological framework of alliesthesia. In this study, the authors aimed to explore thermal pleasure inside solar screen shaded, single-occupancy, perimeter office set-ups that are within a 4.5 m distance from a building facade. Two solar screens, static (stationary) and dynamic (movable), were designed to differently control the thermal environments inside the single-occupancy, perimeter office set-ups. A within-subject experiment was designed in which 27 human participants were exposed to both set-ups. Subjective responses on thermal pleasure as well as objective data including the participants' physiological responses and indoor environmental data were collected during these exposures. Correlations between the subjective responses and objective data were analysed. Ramps in operative temperatures and skin temperature contrasts were found to have a significant influence (p < 0.05) on evoking thermal pleasure in ambient thermal environments of the solar-screened, perimeter offices that remained in the upper fringes of the thermoneutrality limits. The findings provide experimental evidence that expands the application of the thermal alliesthesia framework to building perimeter offices. This work contributes to occupant-centric building research by describing an approach to design shading systems that cater to occupant’s thermal pleasure.