Indoor Climate and Thermal Comfort from a Long-Term Perspective

ABSTRACT

This article discusses how a Swedish wooden burgher house, the mid-1660s Burmeister House, was adapted over the course of 250 years to satisfy ever-changing expectations of thermal comfort. The investigation is based on the climatic conditions of the Nordic Region, where the issue of thermal comfort is crucial when attempting to understand the development of indoor environments. The article explores how spatiality, heating, and interior decor and furnishing operated and affected the inhabitants' experiences of indoor climate and thermal comfort. The results show that Burmeister House followed a general pattern of improvement, especially with regard to innovations in heating. Burmeister House ceased to be a private residence when it was restored and turned into a historic house museum. Rather than revealing its history, restorations carried out in the twentieth century worked to conceal or remove most of the building's more recent history. As a consequence, the house has become more difficult to use since it can no longer be efficiently heated.