Learning communities, installation sector, energy transition, professional development

Abstract

Even today, comfort and health are still considered as synonyms in the design of the indoor climate. On top of that there is a strong focus on average-person comfort which has resulted in tightly controlled indoor air temperatures. Our studies show that regular exposure to temperatures outside the thermal neutral zone may result in significant health benefits. Exposure to cold, but also to heat, positively affects our metabolism, the cardiovascular system, and, in addition, ‘trains’ our resilience to extreme temperatures (heat waves and cold spells). Importantly, it is not necessary to be exposed to extreme temperatures: mild cold and mild warm environments can already elicit beneficial health effects. Translating these insights to the built environment leads to the concept of dynamic indoor conditions. Here, we show that a dynamic indoor climate is acceptable or even pleasant and will contribute to a healthy indoor environment and, because of less strict climate control, will result in lower building energy consumption.