Salutogenese – Das Jahrbuch der KIT-Fakultät für Architektur 2021

holistic perspective, including physical, mental, social and
emotional aspects, should carefully address the interaction
and requirements of the four main environmental stimulus
temperature, light, air quality and noise.
Room temperature asymmetries, undesirable draft
or exposure to extreme indoor temperatures and relative
humidity can lead to occupant discomfort in the built environment.
Recent studies have shown that the impact of indoor
temperature on health is becoming an area of concern,
mainly affecting respiratory outcomes (Tham et al. 2020).
In order to overcome physical health-related issues, standards
have set recommendations, among others, on temperature,
air velocity, relative humidity limits for indoor spaces
to guarantee comfortable and healthy indoor conditions.
Nevertheless, studies have proven that wellbeing goes beyond
the neutrality in indoor conditions but instead focuses on
the principle that thermal satisfaction is influenced by
human physiology and psychology. This understanding of
thermal comfort has led to the inclusion of occupant diversity
in thermal perception and preferences. Recent studies on
this concept focus on the idea of alliesthesia, a perceptual
process that determines why particular environmental configurations
are unpleasant for some and pleasant for others.
For example, elevated air movement with the prospect of
increasing net heat loss from skin tissue during exercise is
likely to be pleasant. Likewise, providing a palette of microclimatic
exposures in the indoor environment can promote
thermal pleasure, encouraging the deliberate introduction
of temperature drifts, air movement, and thermal asymmetries
in buildings. Further efforts to integrate hedonics
into the built environment and the consequent effect on
mental health needs to be further explored.
Around 80% of the information gathered is absorbed
through our eyes. Hence lighting in architecture is designed
to fulfil a visual task and create an atmospheric aesthetical
impact. Visual comfort involves several parameters
such as light intensity, shadow, contrast, distribution and
light colours. These parameters are perceived unconsciously
but highly affect the occupants’ sense of security, orientation
Alanis, Carbonare, Mino, Rissetto, Wagner
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