MuDoCo: Multi-domain comfort models

People living and working in buildings are exposed to a large variety of indoor-environmental conditions. These conditions, which influence people`s health, comfort, well-being, and productivity, differ both in terms of type and intensity. When discussing indoor-environmental conditions, we usually distinguish between different domains, including thermal, visual, acoustic, and air quality domains. In the past, many researchers have investigated the impact of these conditions on people`s perception and comfort. However, both research efforts and related standards and guidelines often treat these domains separately. There are very few cases where the complex multi-domain indoor-environmental conditions are studied in a holistic and integrated way. The main reason for this is the lack of deep knowledge about interdependencies of different environmental factors (e.g., temperature, light intensity, sound level) and how they collectively influence buildings` occupants. In our project, we target scientific advances in this area. As such, we aim toward a better understanding of how people react to a combination of different environmental parameters. To achieve this, we conduct systematic laboratory experiments involving human participants who provide feedback regarding their perception and evaluation of multi-domain indoor- environmental conditions. Moreover, we intend to prepare the foundations for the development of multi-domain comfort models. In future, such models are expected to aid professionals involved in building design and operation. To summarize, our project intends to i) create an up-to-date knowledge base about the impact of interdependent multi-domain indoor-environmental factors on people`s perception; ii) develop a systematic theoretical framework for experimental multi-domain studies; iii) explore the potential for the development of a general multi-domain comfort model; and iv) apply and evaluate different modelling approaches by exploiting objective and subjective (perception) data collected in various experimental settings. These objectives are sought through the collaborative effort by all three partner universities in Austria (TU Graz) and Germany (KIT Karlsruhe, RWTH Aachen). Whereas each partner will have a distinct methodological and thematic focus, together they explore the influence of multiple simultaneously existing indoor-environmental factors influencing people`s comfort perception and evaluation in working environments.