The Impacts of Passive Design Strategies on Building Indoor Temperature in Tropical Climate

Abstract

Traditional buildings in Malaysia were developed for hundreds of years to respond to the local climate. Occupants can comfortably occupy the traditional buildings without a mechanical system such as an air conditioning system. However, in many modern buildings, whether houses, mosques or shophouses, similar traditional strategies are not extensively adopted; thus, they are very dependent on the mechanical system to achieve good thermal comfort. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of selected passive cooling strategies on the indoor temperature of a building in a tropical climate. The methodology adopted in this study was computer simulation validated with measured data from a selected case study. The thermal comfort of a case study was examined with different passive cooling strategies that were applied using IES-VE 2019 building simulation software. The simulation was conducted for various design strategies, such as adding shading devices and closing the curtains to decrease the amount of solar radiation that enters the house from the windows, using timber for walls and clay tiles for the roofs and examining seven different orientations to find the best strategy for the house. All these strategies were tested and compared between full-day natural ventilation and without any ventilation. The thermal comfort of these strategies was graphically defined based on the operative temperature. The results of this study revealed that protecting the windows from solar radiation by adding shading devices and closing the curtains had the lowest indoor operative temperature achievement compared to other examined strategies.

Passive Cooling Strategies in the hot climate: a review study

“…They can be positioned horizontally and vertically, or can be louvered which can be adjusted and rotated to provide the optimum results [34]. Another study [35] proved that -in the tropical climate-protecting the windows from solar radiation by adding shading devices and closing the curtains resulted in the lowest indoor operative temperature compared to other investigated strategies that were examined in the study. Source: [36] b.…”

Thermal Comfort and Microclimate in Indoor Spaces of Low-rise Residential Buildings in Dry Tropical Climate

“…The cooling strategies implemented in the building design were shading devices, closing the curtains to reduce the amount of radiation entering from the windows, and using wood in the walls. The results show that the use of shading devices or closing the curtains contributes to the reduction of indoor temperature (Qays-Oleiwi and Farid-Mohamed, 2023).…”

“…In recent years, various studies tackled the issue ot the thermal behaviour and natural ventilation of buildings in tropical climates. Qays-Oleiwi and Farid-Mohamed (2023) studied the effects of passive cooling strategies on the indoor temperature of buildings in a tropical climate. The case study was selected in Malaysia and the methodology implemented was based on computer simulation validated by measured data.…”

Passive Building Model Guidelines for Minia City Based on Psychometric Chart & CBE Tools

“…Although passive design has received little attention, it is crucial to know how natural systems that mimic the ecological systems on Earth perform [1]. Climate type, adaptable thermal comfort, vernacular and contextual solutions, tools and evaluation techniques, microclimate, sun path, wind, rain, passive and active systems, and responsive forms are the main topics covered by the components of climatic design [2].…”