Description Long

The method was developed on the basis of assessing thermal pleasure in architecture — that is, the thermal comfort of a space. It explores thermal comfort in various rooms and considers how different approaches to data collection and information processing within interdisciplinary teams can give rise to communication problems. A space is examined from three distinct perspectives: The first approach captures participants’ subjective perceptions through qualitative surveys. Participants complete a response card, describing their impressions of temperature, humidity, and overall comfort in the room. The second approach is also qualitative but employs rating scales. In a group discussion, participants assess various aspects of thermal comfort using a predefined scale. Finally, the space is measured physically: temperature, humidity, and other parameters are recorded using appropriate instruments and documented in a predefined grid. In the final stage, the strengths and limitations of the different data collection methods are discussed — both in small groups and in the plenary — along with how these approaches can ideally be combined.

Preparation

• Prepare question cards: 1. Subjective perception, 2. Rating scales, 3. Parameters to be measured (to be defined in advance)
• Prepare the rooms; if necessary, alter the atmosphere of individual rooms by using warm/cool lighting or colours to create a specific effect.

Execution

1. The participants are informed about the aim of the method: to collect data on thermal comfort from different perspectives.
2. They are then given the first question card to subjectively record their impressions of a room.
3. In groups, a second question card is completed using a rating scale, allowing the room to be assessed collectively.
4. Temperature and humidity are measured using the provided instruments (e.g. thermometer, hygrometer).
5. Following the data collection, a plenary discussion takes place to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the different data collection methods.

Tools list

• Matrix, coordinate system on paper

References

The method was developed by Susanne Gosztonyi, with assistance from Jens Meissner and Ursina Kellerhals.