An聽international聽partnership between聽the University of Sydney,听Mitsubishi Electric Corporation,听Waseda聽University (Japan), and the Technical University of Denmark has launched an ambitious project to create a next-generation thermal comfort index,听one that recognises individual differences and supports fairer, more energy-efficient workplaces worldwide.
The collaboration will combine large-scale field studies, human-subject experiments, and advanced data modelling to move beyond the outdated 鈥渁verage person鈥 model that underpins today鈥檚 comfort standards. The goal: a modern, inclusive index that reflects how people聽feel聽in real offices聽ensuring聽improving comfort, well-being, and productivity while cutting energy waste.
鈥淔or forty years, buildings have been tuned to suit an average person who doesn鈥檛 really exist,鈥 said聽Professor Emeritus Richard de Dear,听School of Architecture, Design and Planning.听
This collaboration is about measuring real people, in real workplaces, and building an index that recognises individual differences. It鈥檚 good for people and good for the planet.
Professor Emeritus Richard de Dear, School of Architecture, Design and Planning.
The new international index will provide a聽consistent, evidence-based standard for designers, engineers, and regulators across regions and climates.
Key benefits include:
- Fairness聽-聽comfort standards that suit diverse people, not just the 鈥渁verage.
- Global consistency聽-聽shared criteria for multinational organisations.
- Efficiency聽-聽fewer complaints and less wasted energy.
- Clarity聽-聽stronger, simpler rules for certification and compliance.
Dr Thomas Parkinson, research lead at the University of Sydney鈥檚 Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Lab, said the team is not trying to create separate temperature targets for men and women, but rather a smarter, inclusive system.
鈥淥ur goal is a single, adaptive index that learns from context聽-聽what the person is doing, what the room is doing聽-聽and predicts how聽they鈥檒l聽feel.听That鈥檚聽how we make comfort fairer and smarter at scale,鈥 Dr Parkinson said.
The University of Sydney鈥檚 IEQ Lab is a world leader in human-centred building science, with research spanning thermal comfort, air quality, and building performance analytics. Its findings inform international standards, rating systems, and building codes across Asia, Europe, and the US.
About the project聽
The model integrates physical conditions (temperature, humidity, airflow) with personal factors (clothing, activity, physiology) to predict how individuals feel in a space. Over time, feedback data will refine predictions to enhance comfort and efficiency.
How do you adapt offices for men and women?
Rather than hard-coding different setpoints by gender, the goal is an inclusive environment that lets individuals dial in comfort. That means more personal control (desk fans, foot-warmers, task chairs with local conditioning, small radiant panels), smart zoning to create cooler and warmer micro-areas, and flexible clothing norms.听
Will there be different indicators for men and women?
No. The index focuses on聽direct drivers聽of comfort聽-聽clothing, activity, physiology, recent temperature history, and personal control actions.听Gender could be contextual information, but only as one of many inputs and never as a stereotype.听
奥丑补迟鈥檚听迟丑别听迟颈尘别蹿谤补尘别?
The research period will be extended annually as required by the聽study design聽and international standards process. Interim findings will be shared through conferences and聽media releases聽along the way.
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