The role of lobbies: short-term thermal transitions

Maintaining comfort levels while reducing energy demand in buildings in the face of climate change is a key challenge in temperate zones. Creating transitional spaces and thermal variation in buildings may offer a way forward. This paper is a study of seasonal short-term thermal transitions in the lobby areas of three higher education buildings in Sheffield, UK involving 1,749 participants, thermal comfort questionnaires and simultaneous climatic measurements. New patterns of thermal transitions were identified, which significantly modified seasonal subject’s thermal perception, and their reactions to temperature changes. Results suggest that it could be possible to positively alter people’s thermal perception in the short and long term through the judicious use of lobby spaces. This could help to reverse the negative effects of air conditioning in people’s thermal perception and aid energy saving. This work also provides a reflection on the purpose of transitional spaces in historical buildings and how the implementation of HVAC technologies has reduced the environmental diversity and the key role that transitional spaces play in providing thermal comfort in contemporary architectural design.