Criteria for a comfortable indoor environment in buildings

1. 1. The major purpose of buildings is to provide a healthy and comfortable environment for occupants.

2. 2. The indoor environment is a complex system including factors like thermal, visual and acoustic conditions, indoor air quality, electromagnetic fields, static electricity and vibration.

3. 3. To obtain an indoor environment that is acceptable in terms of health as well as comfort, criteria for these factors need to be established.

4. 4. The present paper gives an overview of the criteria recommended in current existing standards and guidelines.

5. 5. As most studies to date have focussed on thermal conditions and indoor air quality, these two factors are described in more detail.

Author Keywords: Comfort; indoor environment; criteria; standards