THE INTEGRATION OF HUMAN THERMAL COMFORT IN AN OUTDOOR CAMPUS LANDSCAPE IN A TROPICAL CLIMATE

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to study and compare outdoor spaces with different cooling
devices in the tropical climate of the city campus in the CBD of Bangkok, Thailand. The study aimed to find
the most comfortable outdoor space on a green campus, referring to the UI Green Metric World University
Ranking indicators, with a case study of Chulalongkorn University, which is a wet, tropical area in the city
center. The ratio of the area on campus that is covered with planted vegetation (lawns, gardens) is provided
as a percentage of the total site area and is the subject of comparison. In particular, the microclimate seems to
be an important criterion of the physical design features of an outdoor space: a) with cooling devices, such as
shading and fountains, and b) without cooling devices, such as pavement and open lawn. The cooling effect
of these devices, which are evaluated by the thermal comfort measurement results, responded according to
the tropical environment of the campus. This study explains the micro/macroclimatic effects of the landscape
features. The survey measured the meteorological conditions of the outdoor spaces. The study determined
that the shortwave solar radiation and longwave radiation from different materials should play an important
role in a new paradigm for green design and planning.