Analysis of SET* and PMV to evaluate thermal comfort in prefab construction site offices：Case study in South China

Abstract

In urbanization, prefab buildings for office use are extensively utilized on construction sites owing to their convenience and flexibility. To study the applicability of standard effective temperature (SET*) and predicted mean vote (PMV) models in prefab construction site offices (PCSO), combined thermal parameter measurements and questionnaire surveys were conducted on selected construction sites in Guangzhou during the summer, autumn, and winter seasons. A total of 1505 valid questionnaires were collected. Based on the foundation of the adaptability theory, the data obtained through field studies were used to expand the applicability and reliability of the original PMV model and SET* model. This study found that the SET* and PMV models obtained in the current study cannot accurately evaluate the thermal comfort of people in the prefab building. In the cool condition, the original scale was lower than MTSV, and the conclusion is opposite under warm conditions. In addition, through calculation, it can be found that the natural SET* values were higher than the preferred SET* in three different seasons. The difference in preferred SET* was near 1 °C. The numerical values of the two types of models have been revised so that they can more accurately predict and evaluate the thermal comfort of a prefab building, thereby broadening the application scope of the PMV and SET* models. The modified models can thus be used to predict thermal comfort in prefab construction site offices.