Dataset of occupant density, indoor environmental conditions and thermal comfort survey in open plan offices during the COVID-19 pandemic

The objective measurements were carried out during weekdays between September 27th, 2021 and October 22th, 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thermal conditions were monitored between 8:30AM until 17:30PM with an interval of 5 minutes. The HVAC systems were not operating during the case study period and the building was conditioned via natural ventilation according to the recommendations of the UCTEA Chamber of Mechanical Engineers (UCTEA Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, 2020). The objective measurements included indoor air temperature, relative humidity, globe temperature and air velocity, which were measured by probes connected to off-the-shelf anemometers. Thermal comfort variables were measured at a height of 0.60 m in accordance with the requirements of the ASHRAE 55-2013 and ISO 7730 Standards for an occupant at sitting position. Equation (1) presents the formulation of the operative temperature in ASHRAE55 Standard. Here, A is weighting factor determined based on the air velocity. In this study, A was determined as 0.5 according to the ASHRAE55 Standard since all air velocity measures were lower than 0.2 m/s.Moreover, Ta represents        indoor air temperature, To represents operative temperature, Tr     represents mean radiant temperature.

To = A × Ta + (1 − A) × Tr                                                                                      Eq. (1)

A questionnaire was designed to obtain information related to occupants’ responses to their thermal environment. Within this context, occupants were asked to express their thermal sensations according to the ASHRAE thermal sensation scale. In addition, the questionnaire included questions regarding occupants’ thermal preference and satisfaction by using a three- and a two-point scale, respectively. The occupants provided their responses at the end of the day, reflecting their overall experience during the day. A total of 1400 responses were collected and all of them were included in the analysis.

UCTEA Chamber of Mechanical Engineers. (2020, July 6). Recommendations for offices during  pandemic. Https://Www.Mmo.Org.Tr/.