Study on the performance of thermal energy of a classroom built with natural materials

Abstract

This study highlights the indoor thermal comfort in a classroom building mostly built with locally available construction materials combined with some passive techniques in the hot semi-arid climate of Marrakech, Morocco. The thermal assessment of this so-called Baterre building was analysed against a typical building (TB), which represents the structure most widely used in Moroccan rural classrooms and is constructed with conventional materials. A TRNSYS-based dynamic model was developed and validated using onsite monitoring measurements according to American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (Ashrae) guideline 14. Simulation results show that the Baterre structure has a noticeable positive effect on indoor thermal comfort since its indoor air temperature remains stable while that of the TB classroom has higher oscillations. The hourly calculated indoor air temperature in Baterre is greater by 3.6°C during winter and lower by 9.54°C during summer than that in the TB. Moreover, indoor thermal comfort analysis based on the Ashrae Standard 55-2013 shows that Baterre provides good indoor thermal comfort 63% of the time all year round, while the corresponding indoor thermal comfort time value in the TB is 32%. Furthermore, the annual thermal load of Baterre is lower by 53% than that of the TB.