Designing Climates: Enhancing Thermal and Visual Comfort Through the Design of Indoor / Outdoor Architecture

Designing Climates: Enhancing Thermal and Visual Comfort Through the Design of Indoor / Outdoor Architecture

Reintroduction of the fundamental principles of thermal and visual comfort and designing based on climate to enhance these in projects increasing comfort for people.

Description: 

Architects and design critics aside, few people complain about how buildings look. However, everyone complains about how buildings feel, especially if they are too hot, cold, humid, glary, or dark. Architects need to regain design control of comfort, which many ceded to other professions decades ago!

This course will reintroduce you to the fundamental principles of thermal and visual comfort, describe how the experience of the built environment—and the health of people in buildings—can be enhanced by designing to first principles of thermal and visual comfort, and explain how dynamic, varied thermal and visual environments can help comfort occupants.

Learning objectives

  • Define basic elements of thermal comfort and understand the newly emerging model of adaptive thermal comfort.         
  • Understand basic elements of visual comfort and how they can shape the experience of a person visiting a building and landscape.
  • Describe how thermal and visual design choices can increase comfort, enhance environmental quality, and save energy.
  • Understand the environmental design imperatives for hot and humid climates.
User rating:
4.64696
Average: 4.6 (296 votes)
 $50  non-member
 $35  member
1.50 LUs
  • HSW
  • GBCI
  • RIBA

Instructors

  • William Horgan

    William Horgan

    BSc, BArch, RIBA

    Partner | Grimshaw Architects

    William joined Grimshaw in 1995 in London. He moved to the New York office in 2003 and became a...
  • Thomas Jacobs

    Thomas Jacobs

    AIA, LEED AP

    Principal | Krueck + Sexton Architects

    Tom Jacobs is a 2012 National AIA Young Architect award winner, a respected professional and...
  • Nico Kienzl

    Nico Kienzl

    LEED Fellow, DDes, ASHRAE HPDP

    Director | Atelier Ten

    As a director of New York office of Atelier Ten, Nico consults on a wide variety of large scale...