Abstract
Occupants' health is closely related to indoor environmental quality. The vast stock of vernacular houses, which were designed according to historical weather features, may be vulnerable to the effects of global warming. Assessing and improving the vernacular houses’ passive survivability under the up-to-date climate is of great significance to prevent occupants from the threat of heat-related illnesses. This study aims to assess the current indoor overheating risks of four typical vernacular houses in the hot and humid region of China and to identify the potential of passive strategies for improving the indoor thermal environment. Two metrics, indoor overheating degree (IOD) and indoor overheating hour (IOH), are used to describe the thermal environment of the vernacular houses. The consequences of indoor environments under uncertain weather conditions are studied using 10 years of continuous ground measurements of weather data. The impacts of design strategies on indoor overheating were analyzed through sensitivity tests. It is shown that under natural ventilation, the ranges of IOD and IOH in vernacular houses can be as much as 0.7–1.5 °C and 40–70%, respectively. The ability of vernacular houses to resist thermal stress varies with different building characteristics. Implementing design strategies such as increasing the thermal performance of glazing and the operable area of windows, can effectively reduce the risk of indoor overheating in the summer. This research is expected to provide implications for improving the passive survivability of vernacular houses in hot and humid regions.
Published Version
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