Room Gap Analysis of Thermal Comfort in Office Spaces: The Case of Office Space in The Barru Regent Tower Building, Indonesia

It is common knowledge that thermal comfort must be provided by all the office spaces to ensure work productivity. Usually, an HVAC system must work in a closed room so that cold air distribution works optimally. However, in the office room of Barru Regent's Tower building in Indonesia, gaps were found on the side of the room that might cause the cold air distribution to be wasted and not work optimally affecting the user's thermal discomfort conditions. This research examines this issue of thermal comfort in office buildings. The purpose of the research is to analyze thermal comfort conditions and influence of gap factors on the thermal conditions of an office room. It uses a quantitative approach. It generates objective data such as room temperature profile, wind speed, humidity and mean radiant temperature and subjective data such as activities and clothing. Objective analysis was obtained from the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) values through the Thermal Comfort Tool software by Center for Built Environment (CBE) and subjective analysis was obtained through a questionnaire administered with the users of the building. The results show that the office room does not comply with ASHRAE- 55 comfort standards. However. the outcomes of the questionnaire show that 74% felt comfortable and after the room gap was closed, it increased to 77%. Several factors that cause it not to comply with ASHRAE-55 standards are less than optimal distribution of cold air and the influence of gaps on the sides of the room. The results of the research when all gaps on the sides of the room were closed showed that the temperature decreased by around 0.5 ̊C.