An Investigation of Thermal Comfort and Adaptive Behaviors in Naturally Ventilated Residential Buildings in Tropical Climates: A Pilot Study

Zhonghua Gou,Stephen Lau,Sunnie Lau,Wajishani Gamage

doi:10.3390/buildings8010005

Abstract

This article presents a pilot study of thermal comfort and adaptive behaviors of occupants who live in naturally ventilated dormitories at the campus of the National University of Singapore. A longitudinal survey and field measurement were conducted to measure thermal comfort, adaptive behaviors and indoor environment qualities. This study revealed that occupants living in naturally ventilated buildings in tropics were exposed to higher operative temperatures than what American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) comfort standards recommend for naturally conditioned spaces. However, they still felt that such conditions were acceptable. Two behavioral adjustments were found to have profound impacts on occupants’ acceptance of the imposed heat stresses: (1) increasing the indoor air velocity by turning on mechanical fans and opening the door/windows for cross ventilation, and (2) reducing clothing insulation by changing clothes and dressing in fewer clothes. Higher indoor air velocities were also associated with greater satisfaction with indoor air quality. The future study should develop a statistical model to correlate adaptive behaviors with temperature variations for tropical climates.

Highlights

The construction and operation of buildings accounts for over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions [1]
A significant portion of the end-use energy in buildings is dedicated to maintaining thermal comfort [2]
Buildings are exposed to high solar radiation throughout the whole year; these buildings are greatly dependent on air-conditioning to provide occupants with comfortable thermal environments [3,4]

Summary

Introduction

The construction and operation of buildings accounts for over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions [1]. A significant portion of the end-use energy in buildings is dedicated to maintaining thermal comfort [2]. Buildings are exposed to high solar radiation throughout the whole year; these buildings are greatly dependent on air-conditioning to provide occupants with comfortable thermal environments [3,4]. Singapore’s continuous efforts on the adoption of green building design and technologies had resulted in an improvement of their energy utilization index (EUI) by 7% from 2008 to 2014 [5]. This has been attributed to energy-efficient improvements in buildings. The Building Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore advocates natural ventilation as a priority in green and sustainable design [6]

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Methods

Conclusion