Indoor Humidity Environment in Huizhou Traditional Vernacular Dwellings of China in Summer

Abstract

A three-month field measurement of temperature and humidity was carried out in order to analyze the indoor humidity environment in a Huizhou traditional vernacular dwelling compared with that in a modern dwelling during summer. The results showed that the average relative humidity in the traditional vernacular dwelling over 83% was slightly higher than the corresponding value around 75% in the modern dwelling. The humidity fluctuation appeared stable in wing-room due to the moisture buffering effect of the internal timber wood while the humidity variation was drastic in bedroom with well air-tightness due to frequent application of air-condition. The dependency of indoor humidity on the outdoor humidity was strong resulted from a great effect of natural ventilation in the traditional vernacular dwelling with a correlation coefficient of 0.8. Although humidity was high, the thermal comfort was acceptable with the comfortable time near 60% in the traditional vernacular dwelling during summer. It is supposed to apply synthetic hygroscopic materials on the basis of the timber wood with ventilation to moderate indoor humidity in modern architectures in Huizhou area.