An integrative approach for indoor environment quality assessment of large glazed air-conditioned airport terminal in the tropics

The inner surface temperature over glazed roof were recorded as 56 °C due to high level solar penetration, even when the indoor air temperatures over the floor level remain stable within the standard comfort zone. This rose the mean radiant temperature and was considered as main cause for indoor discomfort revealed by the survey. The survey found the employees to be slightly uncomfortable and dissatisfied, particularly in summer. The total energy consumption in 2010 was very high compared against the energy benchmarking. This study confirms that the large proportion of glazed roof is the cause for both overheating and thermal discomfort even with excessive use of the cooling system. In addition, recommendation was made to improve the thermal comfort condition in the large glazed air-conditioned terminal.