The project Wood Life has executed a study on the tactile and thermal comfort perceptions of users on various wood and modified wood solutions as part of the Energy-efficiency Research Programme of Aalto University (AEF). Research methods from the fields of environmental psychology and psychophysics were applied and special attention was paid to the preparation of the test set-up, the recruitment of the test participants and to exclude the bias. There were two rounds of tests: sensory and emotional touch perception of wooden surfaces and thermal touch perception of wooden flooring materials. Wood species in the tests were pine, oak, birch and larch. Both untreated and modified surfaces were tested as well as coated surfaces. Results of the study offer insight to the selection of construction materials that has good tactile warmth and that are pleasant to touch in order to decrease the energy consumption in the building without compromising the (thermal) comfort of inhabitants.
Keywords: User perception, tactile properties, thermal sensation, wood
Authors
Bhatta S.
Department of Forest Resource Management, Aalto University, Aalto
Vahtikari K.
Department of Forest Resource Management, Aalto University, Aalto
Hughes M.
Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, Aalto
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