Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol. 13(5), pp. 3920 - 3933
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2025.130533
Reprint (PDF) (1573Kb)

A Field-Based Evaluation of PMV and Gender-Based Preferences in Indonesian University Classrooms

Eddy Prianto ^*, Syeril Salsabella
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Thermal comfort is requisite for creating interior environments, especially in educational facilities in tropical humid zones. It's important to appraise how well current thermal comfort models, especially the Predicted Mean Vote, work in actual classrooms, taking into account the different needs of users, including gender disparities. Thermal comfort states in five university classrooms (both naturally ventilated and air-conditioned) in an educational building were assessed during the hot season of 2024. In-situ assessments of indoor temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity were performed in conjunction with standardized questionnaires. A total of 336 valid student responses (177 male, 159 female) were analyzed to assess thermal sensation, preference, and acceptability. A comparative analysis was conducted on PMV predictions, emphasizing gender-based disparities. The majority of students reported feeling comfortable inside the ASHRAE-defined comfort range (−1 to +1), with statistically negligible variations (p > 0.05) found between male and female perceptions. However, female students generally favored slightly cooler indoor ambiances than male students. The PMV model matched well with real data in naturally ventilated classrooms but greatly overestimated comfort in air-conditioned classrooms, with differences of up to 1.32 points from the actual Thermal Sensation Votes (TSV). This study is unique because it combines a focus on gender with real-world testing of the PMV model in tropical buildings, which is something not often seen in today's research on building performances. This study emphasized the constraints of employing common thermal comfort models in tropical humid atmosphere. It reinforces the significance of using gender-sensitive viewpoints and adaptive comfort strategies in architectural design. The results offer experimental proof for reevaluating thermal comfort standards in the tropical humid zones.

KEYWORDS
Thermal Comfort, Classrooms, PMV, Gender, Educational Buildings, Tropics

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Eddy Prianto , Syeril Salsabella , "A Field-Based Evaluation of PMV and Gender-Based Preferences in Indonesian University Classrooms," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 13, No. 5, pp. 3920 - 3933, 2025. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2025.130533.

(b). APA Format:
Eddy Prianto , Syeril Salsabella (2025). A Field-Based Evaluation of PMV and Gender-Based Preferences in Indonesian University Classrooms. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 13(5), 3920 - 3933. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2025.130533.