Evaluation of natural ventilation performance and thermal comfort in railway station

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the improvement of natural ventilation in railway stations. In 2011, an ecological modification was applied to Station Y to implement the first stage of the Environment-Conscious Station project. The main focus of the modification was to improve the natural ventilation performance by increasing the number of openable windows. In 2009 and 2012, field surveys under the same conditions were conducted for Station Y and questionnaires were administered for occupants to analyse the difference in thermal environment before and after the modification. As a result, a decrease in the air temperature and an increase in air velocity were confirmed. An increase in thermal comfort of the occupants was also observed. The ratings of occupants with a higher sensitivity to the increased airflow rate contributed to the increase in the thermal comfort rating. The changes induced by modification had a positive effect on thermal environment and thermal comfort.