Field Study on Thermal Comfort of Outdoor and Semi-outdoor in Tropical Climate: Case Study of Bangkok, Thailand

The current state of thermal comfort among people in the tropical climate such as in Bangkok, Thailand is different from previous state due to global warming and has not been extensively studied. The outdoor and semi-outdoor conditions in winter and summer are crucial for investigating the thermal comfort. A total of 193 valid questionnaires were in-field collected from a sample group regarding to the thermal satisfaction with Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) and factors affecting overall comfort in the summer (average temperature 33.6 +/- 1.19 degrees C) and the winter (average temperature 29.5 +/- 1.33 degrees C) in Bangkok. The results indicate that 56.70% in winter and mostly of 84.85% in summer requires to decrease in air temperature. Additionally, 60.63% in winter and 76.92% in summer of the sample group desires an increase in wind speed. These findings also indicate that air temperature and wind speed are important factors that significantly influence the perception of thermal comfort. Regarding to humidity, the majority of the sample group prefers no change in humidity during the winter (78.74%) and the summer (47.69%). This may be due to the lack of awareness among the sample group regarding the impact of humidity on perceived comfort, as they did not express a strong preference for humidity-related factors as much as would be expected.