Search results

Heat gain in buildings occurs due to heat transfer through the building fabric or envelope, especially the walls and roof. The purpose of this paper is to identify and recommend the suitable wall materials for better thermal performance in buildings in warm and hot climatic zones of India. As India lies between the tropic of cancer and the equator, the solar radiation from the sun falls more on the walls than the roofs of the buildings. Thus, it is imperative to protect the walls from heat gain to promote thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings and reduce the energy loads due to artificial cooling systems in air-conditioned buildings.

In this paper, an investigation of heat flow characteristics in steady-state and the transient state for five different uninsulated wall structures using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software has been carried out. The climate conditions at Madurai, India have been considered for this study.

The findings of the study revealed that aerated autoclaved concrete (AAC) and hollow clay blocks (HCB) for external walls in naturally ventilated buildings in warm climatic regions could improve the building’s thermal performance index and reduce peak indoor operative temperature by about 6°C–7°C. The results of steady-state and transient state analysis were found to be in good agreement with the results of the reviewed literature.

Over the past few decades, only very few architects and builders have been successful in influencing their clients to accept alternate materials such as AAC blocks, HCB, stabilized earth blocks, adobe blocks, fly-ash bricks as an alternate to conventional bricks in an attempt of highlighting their benefits, such as; materials that are easily available, more energy-efficient, can withstand the extreme weather conditions, promote thermal comfort and cost-effective. This paper provides strong evidence that AAC and HCB blocks are the most appropriate materials for improving the thermal performance of envelope walls in regions where the outdoor temperatures are above 40°C.

This paper has made an attempt to identify the appropriate wall materials for effective thermal performance in warm and hot climates. A comparative analysis between five different wall types under the existing solar conditions has been analyzed using CFD simulation study in steady-state and transient conditions under summer conditions and the appropriate wall materials have been suggested. There has been no attempt carried out so far to analyze the thermal performance of different walls using 24 h transient approach in CFD.

Vernacular architecture is an architectural style of buildings that were constructed by artisanal builders who lacked formal qualifications, used local materials and had a deep understanding of local climatic needs. This approach addressed climatic, energy, materials and construction issues in a low-cost way. Building interiors were often made comfortable by using passive internal climate regulation methods, which could be key to resolving some of the current issues of the modern world.

Tamil Nadu is a land full of local architecture, with Konearirajapuram settlement a thriving specimen of its vernacular architecture, as one of the original Vathima villages (planned Brahmin villages). Here the authors present an appraisal of this settlement's native architecture with its various passive design elements. A questionnaire survey was also conducted among local residents, living in both vernacular and contemporary residential buildings, to understand the quality of indoor environmental comfort in the different building types (single courtyard, multiple courtyards and multiple story houses with courtyards).

The results of this study show that energy-efficient bioclimatic design strategies of traditional buildings can be analyzed with the help of climatic data and analysis tools such as Mahoney tables and Olgyay's bioclimatic chart. The study shows that vernacular design techniques and principles conserve more energy than modern buildings. The findings suggest that practical solutions for improving contemporary residential developments can be found in traditional architectural approaches and that these approaches should be incorporated in new developments to achieve energy efficiency and a sustainable future.

A detailed survey and the user preferences are plotted in detail in this paper; similarly, Mahoney table and its requirements are analyzed with respect to context; and the results are elaborated and justified.

This study analyzes an entire settlement of Konearirajapuram with 300 units of vernacular residences high in comfort even at extreme climates. Assessment is carried in both qualitative case and quantitative case. Even though there are no previous studies analyzed to identify the effectiveness of the artisanal builders of bioclimatic architecture. Hence, this study brings out the solution for current energy problems from the traditional settings, because the traditional buildings requires no active systems for indoor comfort except a fan, which is negligible in terms of energy use.