Adaptation of thermal comfort in naturally ventilated students residential college in tropical climates of Malaysia

The climate in tropical regions was affecting the level of thermal comfort of the individual while accommodating the residential buildings. Residential buildings especially student residential colleges in Malaysia were mainly build depending on natural ventilation systems as a tool to facilitate comfort in their daily life without the consent of the mechanical ventilation system such as air conditioners. This study has been done by distributing a questionnaire to the occupants who live in the naturally ventilated residential college and conducting an interview series with a college management officer to prove and validate the data collected throughout the study. The result of the study shows that students most likely will change their behavior due to the level of heat stress in the dormitory. Statistics from the data collected shown that students were very relying on the support of the mechanical ventilation system and they are also keener towards wearing a thinner and comfortable clothing material as it will help them to reduce the heat discomfort throughout the day. This study also shows a positive correlation analysis between the relationship of low ventilation flow and the level of indoor thermal comfort. This situation is regarded as the environmental factors that play important roles in the level of thermal comfort in a residential building, especially in tropical climates

The Level of Indoor Thermal Comfort in Malaysian Student Residential College

Higher education institutions (HEI) are the centre of learning and teaching that are responsible for producing high-quality first-generation. The inadequate number of student accommodations also resulted in stacking several students in one room, leading to discomfort, space constraints, lack of privacy, and other health conditions. This study investigates the level of indoor thermal comfort on occupant living at student residential college, which was built by the private party without complying with the design elements that have been gazette by Malaysian building standard. Besides that, the relationship between the room orientation designs in influencing student comfort level will also be inspected. The method consisted of distributing a questionnaire to the occupants and measuring operative air temperature. The study results found that the respondents have a high level of dependence on the mechanical ventilation system, namely the fan, due to the higher temperature and lack of airflow elements. This study also shows a positive relationship between the room orientation designs affecting the level of comfort of the occupants, supported by a correlation analysis. High average temperature occurs at the peak hour (noon) recorded at 31°C, which is above the recommended standard temperature listed by the Department of Standard Malaysia. This study help increase the knowledge of indoor thermal comfort throughout the design phase that can maximize the occupant’s wellbeing and productivity. &nbsp