This study was conducted in Date Palm Technology Company Limited, Shambat, Khartoum State. To evaluate performance of three types of evaporative cooling pads for greenhouses (celdek pads, straw pads and sliced wood pads), as compared to the conditions outside the greenhouses (control), for pads. Performance evaluation includes environmental parameters (temperature and relative humidity at 8 am, 1 pm and 6 pm) and crop parameters (length and stem diameter, leaves number and width, fruit length and diameter, fruit weight and dry matter and yield). The results obtained for the temperature at 8 am showed that there was no significant difference (0.05) inside the greenhouses, while a high significant difference between the conditions inside and outside of the greenhouses was found. Significant differences were found at 1 pm and 6 pm between all treatments as compared to the conditions outside the greenhouses, and the results obtained for relative humidity showed high significant differences at 8 am and 1 pm inside the greenhouses and between inside and outside the greenhouse, respectively, while there was no significant difference at 6 pm inside the greenhouses and between inside and outside the greenhouses. On the other hand, the results obtained for crop parameters showed that there were significant differences between all parameters inside the greenhouses and outside the greenhouses; however, the greenhouses with sliced wood pads gave the highest yield and the greenhouses with straw pads gave the least and conditions outside gave the lowest. This study indicated that the sliced wood pads are better than the other evaporative cooling pads.

Fibre optic daylighting systems are a developing technology that offers solutions to daylighting designers. However, these systems are rarely used in the tropics because of the variable illumination provided by the sky, which changes with latitude, time of day, and seasons. This study examines the illumination levels obtained using a fibre optic daylighting system under various tropical climate conditions in Malaysia. A Parans SP3 fibre optic daylighting system with 10-m cable was used on a full-scale test bed model in Universiti Sains Malaysia as an empirical approach. The following results were obtained: (i) on sunny days with intermediate blue sky, the system worked at 79% and reached a maximum of 725 lx, an average of 457 lx, and a minimum of 98 lx; (ii) on moderately sunny days with intermediate mean sky, the system worked at 48.5% and reached a maximum 685 lx, an average of 439 lx, and a minimum of 80 lx; (iii) under overcast skies, the system worked at 37.5% and reached a maximum of 538 lx, an average of 305 lx, and a minimum of 41 lx. These findings provide benchmarking directions for the application of fibre optic daylighting systems in Malaysia.

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As a developing country, Malaysia requires innovation to keep abreast of the rapid growth of technology to meet the highly demanding energy consumption. The application of daylighting systems especially by fibre optics is very limited, due to the absence of relevant knowledge and the lack of understanding of the system requirements and potentials, particularly the technology of illuminating enclosed spaces which are totally surrounded by internal walls (opaque). Thus, the aim of this literature review is to shed light on this new approach and to help the building technologists activate its application in building interiors. This paper presents and summarises the important technical issues that enhance the adoption of this technique for the Malaysian built environment.

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This paper investigates the environmental thermal comfort in hostel accommodations in USM Penang, Malaysia. Hostel occupants’ physical and psychological wellbeing depend very much on the thermal comfort performance of their environment. Thermal comfort is very much affected by climate factors such as air temperature, globe temperature, radiant temperature and air velocity. Nine hostels in USM Penang, Malaysia were selected for a field study to predict the thermal comfort level of the student occupants. Altogether a total of nine hundred and twenty-four respondents from the sample hostels participated in a questionnaire survey on their thermal environment perception and level of indoor comfort. Air temperature, air velocity, relative humidity and radiant temperature were monitored, observed and measured daily for a week from 8am to 12 midnight. ISO software (comfort calculator ISO 7730) was used to calculate climatic data, clothing, activities of respondents and the value of the PMV and PPD in order to obtain the vote for the quality of thermal comfort in the hostel room. The aim of this research was to investigate the thermal comfort level of the hostel occupant from the analysis of logistic regression and regression line. The results showed that there were significant differences (P < 0.05) between all parameters inside and outside the hostels in addition to the thermal comfort level for male and female occupants. This study predicted that climate affects thermal comfort in hostels located in a warm humid climate zone and also determined the actual thermal comfort in the hostel rooms. This study should be useful for optimizing the thermal comfort level in Malaysia.