Urbanization and the resulting concentration of people in cities has led to the emergence of Urban Heat Islands (UHI), which is associated with several problems. One strategy for UHI mitigation is the use of cool coatings for pavements and buildings, for instance, on roof tiles. Ceramic roof tiles are widely used in Brazil and in the rest of South America, but they have not been adequately studied regarding their thermal emittance and solar radiation reflectance. These two properties can be used to determine whether or not a roof tile coating can be classed as “cool”, according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. In this paper, the solar reflectance, thermal emittance and Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) index were determined for “Portuguese” and “American” colored glazed roof tiles, mostly produced in Brazil. Nineteen glazed roof tiles (from four different producers) with different colors were studied according the LEED certification. The thermal emittance was determined using a portable emissometer and the reflectance spectral curves were measured using a UV–Vis-NIR spectrophotometer. All measurements were performed according to the ASTM standards. The colorimetric coordinates in the visible range (for the D65 illuminant) were determined to evaluate the relationship between the luminous reflectance factor (Y) and the SRI. The optical behavior of the colored glazes for the full range of the solar spectrum was determined using the Kubelka-Munk (K-M) model and the relationship between the absorption (K) and scattering (S) coefficients. The results show that most of the colored glazed tiles did not meet the 2013 LEED requirement, that is, SRI ≥ 39 for roof tiles with a steep slope. A polynomial relationship between the Y factor and the SRI was found (R2 value > 0.95), therefore the tile colors that would probably not qualify for SRI certification could be estimated. The K-M analysis showed that for some glazes there was a high absorption of radiation in the near infrared region, suggesting that the pigments used for these glazes do not exhibit cool properties. Therefore, cool pigments with higher reflectance should be used to improve the performance of the glazes with a low SRI.

The indices of thermal comfort that constitute international standards, such as ISO 7730 and norms suggested by technical publications such as ASHRAE Fundamentals, are PMV, PPD, and T{sub oc}. The aim of this paper is to present similar indices developed from field studies. The studies were made at a school in Florianopolis, Brazil, and consist of more than 1,200 data points. The environmental variables were measured, and the metabolic rate and the thermal insulation of the clothing were estimated from existing tables. Thermal sensation votes were collected for all the students by means of specific questionnaires. The main conclusions are: There is good agreement between the sensations related by the subjects and those obtained from predictions determined by regression analysis; the studies provide one with a different understanding of dissatisfaction with a thermal environment; and when determined from the votes of dissatisfied people, the comfort temperature offers the advantage of showing one the percentage of people who are not comfortable.

Este trabalho discute os limites dados para a velocidade do ar pelas normas ASHRAE 55 (2004) e ISO 7730 (2005). Para tal, realizou-se uma análise comparativa entre os valores-limite para a velocidade do ar definidos por essas normas e as respostas dos usuários em relação à preferência e aceitabilidade do movimento do ar obtidas em experimentos de campo realizados em Maceió/AL. Resultados indicam que ambas as normas especificam valores para a velocidade do ar inferiores aos desejados pelos usuários. Os resultados da preferência do movimento do ar indicam que significativa percentagem dos usuários demanda “maior movimento do ar”. Quando associada às respostas da aceitabilidade do movimento do ar, a insatisfação dos usuários ficou mais evidente, assim como a demanda por maior velocidade do ar. O mesmo movimento de ar, considerado como inaceitável em climas frios e temperados, é desejado pelos usuários em climas úmidos. Nesse contexto, a aplicabilidade de limites máximos para a velocidade do ar provenientes de estudos com características climáticas diferentes deve ser evitada. Tais limites devem vir de resultados de experimentos de campo em ambientes naturalmente ventilados, onde os usuários possam utilizar de oportunidades adaptativas para reestabelecer o conforto térmico. Futuras normas brasileiras devem focar em tais questões, visando limites de velocidade que correspondam à expectativa dos usuários em climas quentes e úmidos.