Evaluation of the factors determining thermal comfort and occupational health conditions of employees in multi-storey business buildings in the light of expert experiences

Previous studies generally focused on the indoor temperature of buildings and air supplies to their environment. The effect of outdoor pollutants on thermal conditions has also attracted some interest in recent years. However, the number of studies on other factors that may potentially affect thermal comfort and health in high-rise buildings is limited. A structured analytical hierarchy process and an improved data envelopment analysis method are used in this study to determine the indoor and outdoor spatial features and climatic effects that influence thermal comfort in multi-storey business buildings. The impact levels of these factors on thermal conditions are determined with heuristic algorithms. Further, two climate zones in two countries are compared in terms of the factors that affect thermal comfort and their individual impact levels. The most critical criterion for Kuwait is external insulation features, whereas for Turkey it is indoor air conditioning. The most critical sub-criterion is temperature for Kuwait, whereas for Turkey it is insufficient heat and light insulation of windows. Data envelopment analysis yields that respiratory health diseases are the most critical effect in Kuwait, and work accidents are the most important effect in Turkey. Temperature and humidity play a significant role in thermal comfort in Kuwait. Insulation and air conditioning are crucial factors in thermal comfort conditions in Turkey.