Thermal Environment and Human Responses in Underground Shopping Malls vs Department Stores in Japan

Field measurements and experiments were conducted in two underground shopping malls and a department store in Japan. The air temperatures in both spaces were particularly different in winter. As expected, the underground shopping mall showed unstable thermal conditions compared to the department store. Psychological evaluation was more stable in the department store than in the underground shopping mall as well. Evaluation in the department store was not influenced by seasonal change, and subjects evaluated their environment more severely than they did for the underground shopping mall. This indoor condition caused a narrow acceptable range in air temperature.