Multi-criteria decision support framework for climate change-sensitive thermal comfort evaluation in European buildings

This paper proposes a novel multi-criteria decision support framework for climate change-sensitive evaluation of building thermal comfort performance in European buildings. The proposed framework considers various comfort categories based on building use and condition, comfort models based on building operation, sensitivity to climate change, key performance indicators, and their thresholds. The proposed framework is then implemented using a passive house-certified high-performance timber dwelling near Brussels as a case study. The thermal comfort in the free-running reference timber dwelling is assessed using a whole-building energy performance simulation model with a static threshold of 26 degrees C for the bedrooms and an adaptive threshold for the other occupied zones. The analysis found an increase in indoor overheating degree by 1.7 degrees C and ambient warmness degree by 6.5 degrees C during heat waves from the current scenario to the end of the century scenario. However, the reference timber dwelling effectively suppressed the impacts of climate change with varying degrees of success towards the end of the century. The proposed framework is intended to support decision-makers in effectively evaluating performance during the early stages of building design. The study highlights the need for further research on building performance assessment techniques and guidelines in a changing climate.