Assessing thermal comfort in tourist attractions through objective and subjective procedures based on ISO 7730 standard: A field study

Thermal comfort is a subcategory of environmental comfort measured in the light of climatic conditions. Having a good climate is regarded as an advantage for any tourist attraction. The present study aimed at assessing thermal comfort of tourist attractions in Kerman. This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study used ISO 7730 to evaluate thermal comfort in Kerman through both subjective and objective procedures. Data were collected on three different days of the six months of summer and winter. Three time intervals (8-9 AM, 11-12 PM, and 6-7 PM.) were set for data collection on each day. The results indicated that subjective and objective PMV had the highest correlation with dry temperature (r = 0.88 and r = 0.94, respectively). There was also a significant correlation between objective and subjective PPD (r = 0.91) and objective and subjective PMV (r = 0.97). According to the obtained results, subjective PMV is greater than objective PMV. In other words, subjective dissatisfaction is greater than objective dissatisfaction. Furthermore, according to the obtained values for subjective and objective PMV, thermal comfort is at the maximum level at 6-7 PM (during summer) and 11-12 AM (during winter). Policy makers should plan to attract a larger number of tourists in these times.