Previous studies have shown that indoor environmental quality (IEQ) parameters may have a considerable effect on office employees’ comfort, health and performance. Therefore, we initiated a research program to help occupants identify IEQ parameters they perceive as risk factors for their health in an office and enhance their comfort levels in an office environment. Since we assumed that office employees might have different indoor environmental quality expectations related to their work area and that these differences could be measured, our objective was to develop an office ‘comfort map’ based on occupants’ individual IEQ preferences. Thus, the goal of the comfort map would be to help tailor office spaces to their occupants’ health and comfort expectations. The comfort survey was developed to assess the comfort-related opinions of the occupants, based on IEQ parameters (visual comfort, acoustic comfort, air quality and thermal comfort) of a chosen open-plan office building. The survey also assessed the degree to which the given IEQ parameter was considered a health risk factor by occupants or caused a negative comfort sensation for them. The survey was filled in by 216 occupants. The answers were then analyzed with the help of a frequency table depicting relative frequency. The measurements of IEQ parameters took place in an open-plan office in the chosen office building (a Hungarian subsidiary’s office building belonging to an international company in Budapest). The occupants had different opinions regarding the perceived effects of the IEQ parameters on their health and comfort. Almost two-thirds of the respondents (64.8%) were dissatisfied with the adjustability of the noises and sounds IEQ parameter at their workstation. Furthermore, half of the respondents (50.1%) were dissatisfied with the adjustability of ventilation. Most of the occupants (45.8%) considered noises and sounds as the IEQ parameter that had a negative effect on their health. There were also IEQ differences between different areas of the office space. Based on these results, a comfort map was developed for the office. The comfort map contains information about the IEQ characteristics of each workstation by depicting the thermal comfort, carbon dioxide, visual comfort and acoustic comfort characteristics of a given workstation on a relative scale. Based on the thermal, air, acoustic, and lighting differences between the workstations, occupants can select their preferred workstations when a desk-sharing system works. Although still in its pilot phase, the comfort map could increase the chances for office employees to find the workstation best suited to their IEQ expectations. This could improve occupants’ overall comfort level, which could in turn enhance occupants’ productivity and mental as well as physical health.

During the following research project, the effects of an electrically heated window on the thermal comfort parameters of permanently occupied spaces were examined. A thermal manikin and a Testo 400 comfort-meter were used for the tests. To characterize the space, the predicted mean vote and predicted percentage of dis-satisfied method was applied. The examination of the comfort indices took place in the vicinity of an electrically heated window glass. During the measurements the surface temperature of the glazing was changed, alongside the distance from the glazing at which the measuring instruments were set up. The project aimed to assess the results measured by the thermal manikin and assess the usability of heated window glazing, taking thermal comfort into account.

This paper presents an empirical approach to design ideal workplaces using the PMV-PPD (predicted mean vote–predicted percentage dissatisfied) method set in ISO 7730 in terms of thermal comfort. The key concept behind our method is that the overall employee satisfaction might be improved if they can select the most suitable desk based on their personal comfort preferences. To support desk sharing, we designed a comfort map toolkit, which can visualize the distribution of comfort parameters within office spaces. The article describes the steps to create comfort maps with methods already widely used, as well as a new one developed by our research team, including the measurement procedures and the theoretical background required.

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER Previous studies have shown that office spaces are priority areas for research. The shocks of recent years, such as the pandemic, have radically changed the lives of office workers in particular, so researchers consider research related to office spaces increasingly relevant. This research aims to present a systematic literature review (SLR) on the relationship between turbulent times working from home (WFH) during the pandemic and outline the possibility of WFH during the pandemic and that the workers will continue to work in the home office. METHODOLOGY The study uses the method of systematic literature review to achieve the research goal. The process provides an opportunity to transparently collect empirical studies on the given research question. The research took place between 2021-2022, with 54 relevant literature items being included for processing. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Our results showed that working from home was and remained an industry-specific option. The competition for talent has intensified in recent years. Employers can get the most out of them, reconstruct their operations and determine what can be monitored remotely. Our results also show that the time, energy and cost of commuting to work are the second most influential motivational factors. In this way, the costs of the employers can also be reduced since they can optimize their office space in connection with the new work organization, thereby reducing their rent and overhead costs. RECOMMENDATIONS The literature review outlined that by adapting and rethinking the experiences during the pandemic, many organizations can organize their work processes more efficiently in the future in accordance with health regulations. Thanks to the shift towards a knowledge-based economy and the spread of Industry 4.0, remote work can be one of the decisive tools for curbing climate change. Acknowledgement: The research project is conducted within the Biomedical Engineering Project of the Thematic Excellence Programme framework. An application for ethical approval for the research methods used in the research "Parameterised comfort in physical spaces" was submitted to the Scientific and Research Ethics Committee of the Health Sciences Council, which granted ethical approval.

This paper describes experiments on finned tube heat exchangers, focusing on reducing the thermal contact resistance at the contact between the pipe and the lamella. Various contact materials, such as solders and adhesives, were investigated. Several methods of establishing contact were tested, including blowtorch soldering, brazing, and furnace soldering. Thermal camera measurements were carried out to assess the performance of the contact materials. Moreover, finite element analysis was performed to evaluate the contact materials and establish guidelines in the fin–tube connection modeling by comparing simplified models with the realistic model. Blowtorch brazing tests were successful while soldering attempts failed. During the thermographic measurements, reflective surfaces could be measured after applying a thin layer of paint with high emissivity. These measurements did not provide valuable results; thus, the contact materials were assessed using a finite element analysis. The results from the finite element analysis showed that all the inspected contact materials provided better heat transfer than not using a contact material. The heat transfer rate of the tight-fit realistic model was found to be 33.65 for air and 34.9 for the Zn-22Al contact material. This finding could be utilized in developing heat exchangers with higher heat transfer with the same size.

Researchers have increasingly focused on thermal comfort, examining both individuals’ thermal sensations and the percentage of people dissatisfied with the thermal environment. Most studies rely on the widely used PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) model and the PPD (Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied) value derived from it, both defined by the ISO 7730:2005 standard. However, previous studies have shown that this standardized method only applies under steady-state conditions, which do not reflect the dynamic nature of everyday environments. As closed-loop control technologies gain prominence in building services, the need to evaluate thermal comfort under time-varying conditions has grown. The standard method does not account for the thermal inertia of the human body, which limits its applicability in such dynamic contexts. In this study, we develop a method to estimate instantaneous thermal sensation under non-stationary conditions by incorporating thermal inertia through signal processing techniques. This approach addresses a well-recognized limitation of the standard PMV–PPD model and provides a way to assess thermal comfort in real time. We collected experimental data using a thermal comfort measurement station, a thermal manikin, and human subjects in a controlled climate chamber. The proposed method enables real-time evaluation of thermal comfort in dynamic environments and offers a foundation for integration into HVAC control and comfort optimization systems.