Thermal comfort and thermal adaptive behaviours in traditional dwellings: A case study in Nanjing, China

Adaptive thermal comfort is the predominant model used for studying thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings. However, current international thermal comfort standards do not represent the people living in all the different types of Chinese buildings, especially in old and traditional dwellings. Much of China's urban and rural populations live in traditional dwellings; their indoor thermal comfort and characteristics differ from those of people who reside in modern dwellings because of their unique thermal experiences and adaptive behaviours. To improve upon the thermal comfort database for energy-saving transformation of traditional dwellings, such as installation of heating or cooling devices and systems for residents, we conducted a field study of thermal comfort and thermal adaptive behaviours of residents in a traditional residential settlement in Nanjing in summer and winter. The results show that traditional dwellers are more tolerant to harsh environments, and their thermal neutral temperature and thermal sensitivity are lower in winter and higher in summer, than those of the people that reside in modern dwellings. Residents of traditional homes employ a series of thermal adaptive behaviours to expand their thermal comfort zone. We demonstrate a significant difference in human thermal comfort, which provides a basis for heating systems design for traditional dwellings and for further research on thermal comfort in different kinds of dwellings and regions.