PERCEPTIONS OF!

COMFORT"

Haley Lamb " DSC 520 " Contemporary Design Issues"

What Does It Mean to be Comfortable?"

! 20 years of research has supported that there is no universal denition for comfort and individuals can experience temperatures differently. !
! People have reported being comfortable from

43 degrees Fahrenheit and up to 86 degrees. !

"

Historically societies developed methods of dealing with their local climates, and those tools and behaviors became ingrained cultural customs. As the world becomes more interconnected, these customs are changing, and so is the denition of the something as elemental as comfort. (Koerth-Baker, 2013)

languagetranslation.com

Harold Wilhites Research"

! Two cities, Oslo, Norway & Fukuoka, Japan, are of

similar population size, level of industrial development, spending power and average home size. ! ! Cultural norms regarding energy use were very different.!

viahouse.com

kokochi.com

Quality of Light"

Norwegian living rooms average ! 9.6 light bulbs!

Japanese living rooms averaged ! only 2.5 light bulbs!

houseideas.info

busydoor.com

Cultural Understandings of ! Comfort are Changing " !

- Wilhite"

! As companies and governments modernized, they

adopted the same schedules as their counterparts in other countries (Koerth-Baker, 2013).! ! Workers in Mexico could no longer take a siesta during the
hottest part of the day. AC use has increased dramatically. !
! In 1995, only

10% of homes in Mexico had an AC unit. By 2011,

80% of the homes in Mexico had one!! ! Japanese homeowners were interviewed about adding an air conditioner and majority viewed them to be unhealthy and unpleasant. However, they are starting to notice more of a presence in the modern homes within their community. !

! Both of these examples are byproducts of !

GLOBALIZATION"

opendata-laconference.com

! Another effect of the globalization of air conditioning was

a building code (Ashrae 55) developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air- Conditioning Engineers. Based on an equation developed in the 60s-70s. ! ! This code stated the ideal temperature for large ofce buildings should make a very specic ofce worker comfortable: a man wearing a full business suit." ! This standard has set thermostats around the world and does not take into account different climates or cultural dress/business attire.!

masterfile.com

References"
! Ellis, F. P. (2009, May 15). Thermal comfort in warm and humid atmospheres: !

Observations on groups and individuals in Singapore. Cambridge Journals, 51(03). ! doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0022172400015813! ! Koerth-Baker, M. (2013, January 25). What does it mean to be comfortable? The New ! York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/magazine/what- ! does-it-mean-to-be-comfortable.html.! ! Peiperl, M. (2010, September 26). Globalization: Bridging across cultures or developing a global culture?. In Fast Company. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http:// www.fastcompany.com/1689868/globalization-bridging-across-cultures-ordeveloping-global-culture! ! Shove, E. (2003). Comfort, cleanliness and convenience : The social organization of ! normality (pp. 1-235). New York, NY: Berg Publishers. Retrieved February 9, 2013, ! from ASU Library Search.!