Perception Aspects in Underground Spaces using ... - TOI - TU Delft

comfort seems to fulfill a biological function. The function of discomfort is to protect the personfrom more extreme conditions” (Bennett, 1977, p. 14/15).In underground spaces, people are even more sensitive to physiological comfort, for whichCarmody (1993) finds three reasons:•= Lack of visibility from the exterior•= Lack of windows•= Being undergroundFollowing aspects can have a role in determining physiological comfort:•= Acoustics – this includes taking additional measures to reduce the noise nuisance caused bypassing trains and metros and making sure that the announcements on the station areunderstandable, otherwise this may cause the annoyance•= Light - ability to see•= Temperature – thermal quality and draft•= Air quality and stuffiness – ventilation but also the presence of any smellsDaylight (B 4 )In this research, a difference is made between daylight and light. As it has been earlier discussed,light is mainly related to the visibility and the ability to see in general. The deficiency of lightmay lead to feeling of fear and is therefore related to the aspect of public safety. Daylight mayalso have that role, but only during the daytime. People in general feel more unsafe during thenight hours than during the daytime, which again may depend on various aspects, such as (Korz,1998):•=•=during the daytime more people are present on the stations, therefore people feel saferdaylight openings contribute to the increase of light level, and therefore the spaces areexperienced during the daytime as more safe, even though this is less likely for undergroundstationsIn this respect, one can say that the daylight influences the public safety aspects. However,largely it fulfils the other function as well, which is relevant independent of the period of the day,since daylight openings can:•= provide additional information about the aboveground conditions; for example, it mayprovide information about weather conditions•= give information about the positioning of underground space in relation to the ground level•= help one's orientation in space and a better understanding of ones position in the undergroundThe main reasons why the aspect of daylight is placed under comfort rather than public safetyaspects are:•= Light – daylight can increase the light level only during the daytime•= Layout – strategic positioning of daylight openings can enhance the orientation and thewayfinding in an underground space. These structures clearly mark the underground spaceand in most cases, they mark the exit/entrance to the underground space as well. Orientationis already classified under comfort aspects.•= Clarity/spatial organization – the daylight openings can help to comprehend the organizationof underground space since they can be an important markers and orientation points- 35 -