Indoor thermal comfort review: The tropics as the next frontier

With the current dynamics on demographic growth, by 2050 it is likely that nearly 50% of the world's population will reside in tropical countries. As the tropics become increasingly urbanised, energy demands for air conditioning are dramatically rising. Paradoxically, there is a generalised lack of research on indoor thermal comfort in the tropics, compared to other regions. However, it is here where advancement in this area could have a greater effect. This review examines the volume, origin, emphasis, and impact of available studies on indoor thermal comfort in tropical regions, through a systematic analysis of available data and peer-reviewed documentation. Six different samples of information were studied, including 54 general reviews, 61 field studies from ASHRAE databases, 75 selected documents on thermal comfort in the tropics, as well as, records from 111 tropical countries, 33M and large cities and 43 of the fastest-growing cities. The findings show new insights into the advancement on this area, such as the most and least studied countries, cities and climates, the preferred models and tools of assessment and the central focus of the research produced to date. The review also highlights gaps in research, as well as potential areas for further development.