An Evaluation of The Thermal Comfort of Users in Hot and Humid Climates (Case study: Indigenous housing in Kish Island)

Thermal comfort studies are important because they guide the design engineer to use passive methods and minimize the use of active methods for creating comfort in buildings. Although today the need for thermal comfort of users is met by mechanical and electrical systems, they should be used only when the weather conditions are unbearable. In other cases, a proper design of buildings along with appropriate thermal behaviours can provide optimal comfort conditions. The present article is an attempt to evaluate the thermal sensation and the preference of the residents in Kish Island in accordance with ASHRAE standards and with the help of field studies in the hot and humid climate of Iran, which includes measuring the climate variables and analyzing the surveys answered by users. The purpose of the study is to achieve a climate-responsive architecture and reduce energy consumption concerning the thermal comfort of users. Since residential buildings are the main consumers of energy, and most of the energy consumed in buildings is used to create favourable environments, it is necessary to study the interaction between users and the building to find the effect of behavioural and psychological compatibility of users in achieving the desired comfort. The results of the research indicated that, in the two studied seasons, the users experienced thermal comfort indoors but only when they used cooling systems. This could be due to the harsh and unbearable weather of Kish Island at this time of year when providing thermal comfort is not possible otherwise. Nevertheless, the users’ perception of thermal comfort has changed over time, and a dynamic environment is created. Therefore, the demand for using electrical systems is reduced. This shows that people can adapt themselves to different situations and often provide comfortable conditions for themselves. In the present study, contemporary buildings of Kish Island have been studied as evidence.