Study on Environment Regulation of Residential in Severe Cold Area of China in Winter: Base on Outdoor Thermal Comfort of the Elderly

• Main Authors: Hong Jin, Bo Wang, Bingbing Han
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-11-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: extreme climate; aging; field measurement; cfd simulation; thermal comfort map
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/22/6509

Overwhelming evidence shows that the harsh climate conditions are affecting urban residents who are living in severe cold areas of China in winter, particularly affecting the frequency and length of outdoor space usage of the elderly. This study aims (1) to establish the modified model which is suitable for the harsh climate region, (2) to verify whether the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) index can be evaluated for the outdoor thermal comfort of older adults in severe cold areas of China in winter, (3) to draw the thermal comfort map that is based on the former conclusions. In this study, the outdoor environments in typical residential areas for the elderly of Changchun, China, has been investigated by using field measurement, questionnaire survey, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. The results show that the wind direction is the important aspects of model modification and quite possibly one of the most neglected. In addition, it is convenient to evaluate outdoor thermal comfort of the elderly on the basis of the PET index and the neutral PET temperature of elderly people who live in severe cold areas of China in winter is −0.5 degrees Celsius. According to the thermal comfort map, the park green land of urban residential is the best area for the elderly.