An Investigation of Design Considerations to Achieve Thermal Comfort in Warm Humid Climatic Zone of West Bengal

The increasing energy demands in the building sector is considered as a main issue and has result both in the energy shortage and also environmental impact such as climate change and global warming. This demand is always increasing due to the high-rise level and also the need of thermal comfort. This paper aims to describe a passive approach to reduce the energy demand for a building through an improvement of the design of the thermal envelope. Within this work, we utilized the thermophysical properties of four building materials: three local materials (compressed earth, lateritic, and raw material) and one modern (Hollow cement) and an energy analysis of the building has been carried out. The numerical optimization of the building design has been performed dynamically by COMSOL Multiphysics software: case study of Ouagadougou and surface is 100m2. Also, the temporal variations in the inside of the room as well as the temperature of the walls and the ceiling with four different materials have been determined. The result shows that, for BLT, the maximum obtained around 22H is 308K, for Adobe it is 309K around 18H30, for BTC it was 309.2K at 20H and finally for cement block it is 310K around 18H. The mean average temperature of the building is low when we use local materials instead of modern one. Then, we conclude that, the use of local materials in the building design is an option for reducing the heat transfer into the room and at the energy consumption.

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Investigation on the Thermal Condition of a Traditional Cold-Lane in Summer in Subtropical Humid Climate Region of China

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13246602 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (24) ◽

pp. 6602

Author(s):

Hui Chen ◽

Yin Wei ◽

Yaolin Lin ◽

Wei Yang ◽

Xiaoming Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aspect Ratio ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Heat Dissipation ◽

Cfd Simulation ◽

Sensible Heat ◽

Small Aspect Ratio ◽

Humid Climate ◽

Shading Effect ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Computational Flow Dynamics

A Chinese traditional narrow street, named Cold-Lane, can create a microclimatic zone that provides pedestrian thermal comfort under hot and humid climate conditions. This phenomenon was observed through experimental measurement during the summer of 2016. The heat transfer rate over the pedestrian body surface was calculated to reveal why pedestrians experience a cool sensation, and computational flow dynamics (CFD) simulation was carried out to study the influence of the street aspect ratio on the shading effect. It was found that the perception of thermal comfort can be attributed mainly to the radiation between the relatively cool surrounding walls and the human body, and the wind velocity has little effect on sensible heat dissipation. The cool horizontal and vertical surfaces in the street canyon are mainly due to the shading effect as a result of the small aspect ratio, which is a typical characteristic of the traditional Chinese street. The shading effect of the high walls on both sides creates the cooling effect of this narrow street.

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Effects of Landscape Design on Urban Microclimate and Thermal Comfort in Tropical Climate

Advances in Meteorology ◽

10.1155/2018/2809649 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Wei Yang ◽

Yaolin Lin ◽

Chun-Qing Li

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Real Data ◽

Landscape Design ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Humid Climate ◽

Urban Microclimate ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Design Elements ◽

Pavement Materials

A climate-responsive landscape design can create a more livable urban microclimate with adequate human comfortability. This paper aims to quantitatively investigate the effects of landscape design elements of pavement materials, greenery, and water bodies on urban microclimate and thermal comfort in a high-rise residential area in the tropic climate of Singapore. A comprehensive field measurement is undertaken to obtain real data on microclimate parameters for calibration of the microclimate-modeling software ENVI-met 4.0. With the calibrated ENVI-met, seven urban landscape scenarios are simulated and their effects on thermal comfort as measured by physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) are evaluated. It is found that the maximum improvement of PET reduction with suggested landscape designs is about 12°C, and high-albedo pavement materials and water bodies are not effective in reducing heat stress in hot and humid climate conditions. The combination of shade trees over grass is the most effective landscape strategy for cooling the microclimate. The findings from the paper can equip urban designers with knowledge and techniques to mitigate urban heat stress.

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Traditional Javanese Residential Architecture Designs and Thermal Comfort. A Study Using a Computational Fluid Dynamics Program to Explore, Analyse, and Learn from the Traditional Designs for Thermal Comfort

10.26686/wgtn.16934857 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Prasasto Satwiko

Keyword(s):

Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computer Simulation ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Building Design ◽

Point Of View ◽

High Porosity ◽

Cfd Modelling ◽

Humid Climate ◽

Building Science

<p>This thesis grows out of a desire to understand, in building science terms, the environmental features of traditional building design practices on Yogyakarta Special Region (Indonesia). The construction of traditional dwellings conforms to a set of rules, determining both the form and process of construction. The thesis describes tests of a number of factors related to traditional Javanese buildings for their effect on thermal comfort and air flow, isolating those design aspects and analysing them through contemporary techniques. Having proposed a scientific rationale behind traditional customs, two building styles, Joglo and Limasan are analysed. These styles are shown to relate to traditional numerological systems (petungan; i.e. sri and kitri), which have governed the specific details of domestic construction, and to the scale and siting of structures within the designated traditional guidelines. For comparison, simple hip-roofed dwelling (not applying Javanese style, petungan, and materials), representing current practices, were modelled. A commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics program was used as the principal research tool, testing thermal comfort through computer simulation. The main conclusion reached by this thesis is that traditionally designed Javanese architecture is thermally comfortable in a hot humid climate, more so than the simple hip-roofed dwelling. Literature studies reveal that modern building science ideas on thermal comfort in hot humid climates had been applied instinctively in traditional Javanese architecture. Computer simulation confirms them as thermally comfortable. Differences in style, petungan values, and scale were found to affect thermal comfort slightly, through their effects on the aerodynamic and thermal performance of the buildings. On the other hand, factors relating to materials have a significant effect on thermal comfort. The high porosity of traditional clay tile roof systems has provided Javanese buildings with a continuous ventilated roof, which is superior to corrugated steel from the point of view of ventilation of the dwellings. In addition, CFD modelling has proved to be a valid means of testing airflow within and around buildings. However, calibration is needed to ensure the CFD program performs accurately and reliably. Simplification of data input is also recommended to minimise complication in the simulation without necessarily sacrificing the accuracy of the results. Further applications and current limitations of CFD technology are discussed.</p>

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Improving thermal comfort conditions in K-12 educational buildings in hot and humid climate: a case study in Cucuta, Colombia

Journal of Physics Conference Series ◽

10.1088/1742-6596/2069/1/012171 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2069 (1) ◽

pp. 012171

Author(s):

D Guerrero ◽

H Ge ◽

B Lee

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Natural Ventilation ◽

Thermal Conditions ◽

Building Design ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Design Strategies ◽

National Guidelines ◽

Humid Climate ◽

K 12

Abstract The school buildings in Colombia are built based on geographical locations and regional construction systems. However, external weather conditions and building design can have a significant impact on the thermal comfort of students, which affects the academic performance and productivity. This paper investigates the thermal comfort performance for an educational building in a hot and humid city in Cucuta, Colombia, built under national guidelines. This school is a concrete structure without mechanical cooling. However, field observation discovered that 82% of the time students experienced thermal discomfort. To investigate causes and provide mitigation strategies, a whole building energy simulation is conducted. Design Builder is used to evaluate the indoor thermal conditions compared to outdoor data collected. ASHRAE 55 adaptative model is used for the evaluation. It is found that 79% of the time the thermal conditions are outside the acceptable range during the year. The effect of mitigation measures i.e., occupancy, roof insulation, and natural ventilation rates are investigated through simulations. It is found that occupancy and natural ventilation rate have a significant impact on the indoor temperature and relative humidity, and thus the thermal comfort. Passive design strategies are proposed in optimizing the school building design to meet ASHARE-55 requirements.

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A Comparative Study Between the Climate Response Strategies and Thermal Comfort of a Traditional and Contemporary Houses in KRG: Erbil

Kurdistan Journal of Applied Research ◽

10.24017/science.2017.3.54 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 320-329 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Diler Haji Morad ◽

Serbest Khalil Ismail

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Building Materials ◽

Climate Response ◽

Total Energy Consumption ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Response Strategies ◽

Vegetation Water ◽

Mechanical Devices ◽

Building Form

The hot and dry climate conditions in Erbil city has a main effect on the energy consumption and thermal performance of the house. In the last decade, residential sector in Kurdistan region government has consumed about 50% of total energy consumption. The contemporary dwelling did not consider climate consideration therefore; there was difficulty in achieving or obtaining thermal comfort conditions, without using electrical or mechanical devices like air- conditioning. In contrast, traditional houses carefully and effectively designed with climate conditions. In the present study, in order to determine suitable architectural strategy that may be benefit in future housing designs, the climate response strategies and thermal comfort examined in both traditional and contemporary houses in Erbil city and evaluated in terms of building form, orientation, occupancy migration, plan arrangement, window, ventilation, shading, Vegetation, water bodies building materials and Urban Fabric. At the end of this study, a simplified evaluation and comparison between contemporary and traditional house are given.

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COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE THERMAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSES OF INDIGENOUS BAMBOO AND MODERN BRICK HOUSES IN HOT-HUMID CLIMATE OF MALAYSIA

Jurnal Teknologi ◽

10.11113/.v78.8041 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 78 (11) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nur Dalilah Dahlan ◽

Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Building Materials ◽

Humid Climate ◽

Night Time ◽

Indoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Environmental Responses ◽

American Society ◽

House Design ◽

Hot Humid Climate ◽

East Asia Region

Vernacular houses using indigenous building materials have shown to be a good strategy for sustainable energy consumption without compensating the occupant’s indoor thermal comfort. Bamboo has been identified as the most used building material for vernacular houses in South-East Asia region. However, very little investigation has been conducted to study the passive performance of a bamboo house in maintaining indoor thermal comfort. This study compares the indoor microclimate conditions using thermal comfort Predicted Mean Vote and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied models (PMV-PPD) developed by American Society Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) between indigenous bamboo house (H1) and modern brick house (H2) at a village located in the Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve, Selangor. Observations on environmental factors and predicted thermal comfort satisfaction level between day and night times were also taken into consideration. The findings suggest that the use of bamboo plus other vernacular house design features such as raising a house on stilts, located on hilly site and providing air permeability in H1 can lead to a thermally comfortable indoor environment, particularly during night time.

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Traditional Javanese Residential Architecture Designs and Thermal Comfort. A Study Using a Computational Fluid Dynamics Program to Explore, Analyse, and Learn from the Traditional Designs for Thermal Comfort

10.26686/wgtn.16934857.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Prasasto Satwiko

Keyword(s):

Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computer Simulation ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Building Design ◽

Point Of View ◽

High Porosity ◽

Cfd Modelling ◽

Humid Climate ◽

Building Science

<p>This thesis grows out of a desire to understand, in building science terms, the environmental features of traditional building design practices on Yogyakarta Special Region (Indonesia). The construction of traditional dwellings conforms to a set of rules, determining both the form and process of construction. The thesis describes tests of a number of factors related to traditional Javanese buildings for their effect on thermal comfort and air flow, isolating those design aspects and analysing them through contemporary techniques. Having proposed a scientific rationale behind traditional customs, two building styles, Joglo and Limasan are analysed. These styles are shown to relate to traditional numerological systems (petungan; i.e. sri and kitri), which have governed the specific details of domestic construction, and to the scale and siting of structures within the designated traditional guidelines. For comparison, simple hip-roofed dwelling (not applying Javanese style, petungan, and materials), representing current practices, were modelled. A commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics program was used as the principal research tool, testing thermal comfort through computer simulation. The main conclusion reached by this thesis is that traditionally designed Javanese architecture is thermally comfortable in a hot humid climate, more so than the simple hip-roofed dwelling. Literature studies reveal that modern building science ideas on thermal comfort in hot humid climates had been applied instinctively in traditional Javanese architecture. Computer simulation confirms them as thermally comfortable. Differences in style, petungan values, and scale were found to affect thermal comfort slightly, through their effects on the aerodynamic and thermal performance of the buildings. On the other hand, factors relating to materials have a significant effect on thermal comfort. The high porosity of traditional clay tile roof systems has provided Javanese buildings with a continuous ventilated roof, which is superior to corrugated steel from the point of view of ventilation of the dwellings. In addition, CFD modelling has proved to be a valid means of testing airflow within and around buildings. However, calibration is needed to ensure the CFD program performs accurately and reliably. Simplification of data input is also recommended to minimise complication in the simulation without necessarily sacrificing the accuracy of the results. Further applications and current limitations of CFD technology are discussed.</p>

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Influences of local materials on the building behavior and evaluation of the cooling loads

Journal de Physique de la SOAPHYS ◽

10.46411/jpsoaphys.2020.02.19 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. C20A19-1-C20A19-7

Author(s):

Fati Amadou-Oumarou ◽

◽

Souleymane Ouédraogo ◽

Adrien Sanembaye ◽

Amadou Konfé ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Building Materials ◽

Building Design ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Building Behavior ◽

Cooling Loads ◽

Earth Block ◽

Local Materials

The energy demand in buildings sector is always increasing due to the climate, the economic growth, and also the need for thermal comfort. The aim of this paper is to find a way that can significantly reduce the energy demand for a building through an improvement of the design of its thermal envelope. Within this work, we utilized the thermophysical properties of four building materials: three local materials (compressed earth block (BTC), lateritic block (BLT), and raw earth), and one modern (Hollow cement). The numerical optimization of the building design has been performed dynamically by Comsol 5.3a software: the case study is Ouagadougou and the surface is 100m2. Also, the temporal variations in the inside of the room, as well as the internal and external temperatures of the walls and the ceiling with four different materials, have been determined. The result of the simulation shows that, for BLT, the maximum of ambiante temperature is obtained 308K around 22h, for Adobe it is 308.8K around 21h, for BTC it was 309.2K at 19h30, and finally for cement block it is 310K around 17. We can safely say that BLT is the material leading to the lowest average daily indoor temperature variation, thus leading to the reduction of air conditioning load and the need for thermal comfort and around the order of 4KW of energy saving can be obtained.

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Efficient Concept of Low Energy Building

Energy Conversion and Resources ◽

10.1115/imece2005-79198 ◽

2005 ◽

Author(s):

Mahmoud A. Hassan

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Saving ◽

Energy Efficient ◽

Air Conditioning ◽

Natural Ventilation ◽

Building Materials ◽

Building Design ◽

Building Energy ◽

Low Energy

Low energy architect is a major target of building researchers and designers worldwide. Obviously, any portion of energy that can be saved in this respect can be directed to industrial processes, if any. Building energy consumption can be reduced through various systems such as air conditioning (a major building energy consumer), lighting, equipment, etc. In regions where energy is limited or scarce, air conditioning would have to be replaced by natural ventilation for the removal of the building heat load for thermal comfort. Also, energy conservation issues are being more important in hot arid regions, especially because the building are consuming more than 60% of electric energy generated and about 65% of this energy is consumed for cooling. There is a set of complex factors, which determine energy needs in building, such as solar radiation, type of A/C systems, building operation, thermal properties of the building envelop... etc. In the present decade the aim is to discuss the advantage of energy efficient building design. There is several ways to reduce the energy consumed for the human comfort process, but what is the most energy efficient or more energy saving from these ways. One of these is the insulation, which can be used for insulating the wall and the roof, which subjected to the large amount of the solar heat gain. The insulation of the roof is intended to maximize resident’s thermal comfort and minimize energy consumption of housing. The parameters, which are effect on the thermal performance of the roof, are the color, general construction, insulation and ventilation. This paper present the effect of insulation of the roof on the amount of energy consumed for different types of insulation in order to select the suitable insulation which give the minimum cost and maximum energy saving. This work was done using an energy software program (Visual DOE). This paper provided suggestions to improve the building construction for the thermal comfort. A parametric analysis was investigated for the economic analysis of various insulating building materials.

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