Occupant acceptance of discomfort in an atrium building: to sweat or to shiver

This paper describes research into occupant use of two cafe/seating areas in
an atrium building. In particular it deals with two issues: firstly the distribution of
temperatures at different points and different floor levels in the atrium over a year;
and secondly the acceptance of thermal discomfort by occupants within those spaces.
The study of temperature reveals some interesting variations which can be ascribed to
wind and stack effects acting to move air in the space, creating variations between
locations and changes over the course of a day. Seasonal variations also occur.
Significantly there are many times when applying predictive techniques, occupants
could be expected to feel thermal discomfort, yet continue to use the spaces when
others are available. A survey of occupants taken over a shorter period of time found
that despite thermal discomfort, they have some reluctance to change their location.
This suggests that factors other than