Optimized design of hospital open space based on outdoor thermal comfort: The case of Shaanxi People's Hospital in China

The thermal environment of hospital open spaces is crucial to users. However, existing studies often overlook the differences in thermal comfort between patients and healthy individuals. Therefore, there is a need for specialized research focusing on patients to explore their specific outdoor thermal comfort levels. This study takes the People's Hospital of Shaanxi Province, China, as a case study, utilizing questionnaires and field measurements to investigate the thermal environment of hospital open spaces. The results indicate that air temperature and black globe temperature are the primary meteorological factors influencing the thermal sensation of all subjects. The neutral Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) for healthy individuals was found to be 16.9 degrees C, while for patients, it was 18.8 degrees C, with an overall neutral UTCI of 17.5 degrees C for all subjects. The neutral UTCI range for healthy individuals was 12.6-21.2 degrees C, for patients, it was 14.5-23.1 degrees C, and for all subjects, it was 13.1-21.9 degrees C. The thermal acceptable range for healthy individuals was 13.5-20.1 degrees C, for patients, it was 14.3-22.4 degrees C, and for all subjects, it was 12.9-21.5 degrees C. These findings provide data support for optimizing the outdoor thermal comfort design of hospitals and serve as a basis for establishing or revising thermal comfort standards for hospital open spaces.