6 research outputs found
Evaluation of thermal comfort and building form attributes in different semi-outdoor environments in a high-density tropical setting
In highly dense tropical cities, a semi-outdoor space (SOS) is frequently used as a social space within tall building forms where people can interact and connect. Thermal comfort in SOSs within tall buildings, however, may vary depending on the type and form attributes that define it. This study classifies 63 SOSs in four tall buildings of Singapore into five types based on literature review: perimeter buffers, sky terraces, horizontal breezeways, breezeway atria and vertical breezeways. Findings suggest that the five SOS types perform differently in terms of thermal comfort (based on PMV*), environmental parameters (air temperature, mean radiant temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity), and building form attributes (height-to-depth ratio, open space ratio, and green plot ratio). Of these five, vertical breezeways and horizontal breezeways are the most thermally comfortable for all activities during a typically warm hour. It is postulated that higher thermal comfort levels in these SOS types are linked to form attributes that enhance air velocity. This study examines the pros and cons of each SOS type in terms of thermal comfort in their role as communal spaces in tall buildings situated within a highly dense tropical city
Passive cooling design strategies as adaptation measures for lowering the indoor overheating risk in tropical climates
Year-round high temperatures and humidity in the Tropics, coupled with poor design decisions and climate change, can cause indoor environments to overheat, affecting health and increasing energy demand and carbon emissions. Passive cooling could help lower the indoor overheating risk. Given the gap in the relative influence of passive cooling design strategies on lowering the indoor overheating risk in tropical locations, this study investigated their impact in two warm tropical cities (i.e., Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula), considering both current and future climate scenarios, with a total of 3840 thermal simulations performed. Indoor overheating risk in apartment-type dwellings was assessed using two metrics (i.e., hours of exceedance and the indoor overheating degree), and considering fixed and adaptive thermal comfort limits. Simulation results show that the overheating risk can be significantly lowered in these tropical contexts using solely passive cooling strategies as heat adaptation measures. Multivariate regression models demonstrate that natural ventilation, wall absorptance, the solar heat gain coefficient, and semi-outdoor spaces have the greatest impact in lowering the risk in vertical social housing projects. This study emphasizes the importance of passive cooling and overheating protection design strategies in tropical building codes and building design while considering current and future risk
Porosity, openness, and exposure: Identification of underlying factors associated with semi-outdoor spaces’ thermal performance and clustering in tropical high-density Singapore
The lack of green open spaces undermines the environmental and social quality of tropical highly-dense
cities (i.e. raises urban temperatures, limits social interaction). The goal of this study, which focused on
environmental aspects, was to identify underlying factors (i.e. hypothetical constructs) in semi-outdoor
spaces within building forms that explain their microclimatic behaviour, thermal comfort levels, and
clustering. Sixty-three semi-outdoor spaces in four high/mid-rise building forms of Singapore were studied using microclimatic data collected from field measurements and analysed via inferential statistical
methods (e.g., exploratory factor analysis, multivariate regression analysis, and hierarchical clustering
analysis). Findings demonstrate: (1) that spatial attributes (i.e. height, depth, void, solid, total frontage, open
frontage, area, volume, perimeter, sky view factor, green plot ratio) are manifestations of three underlying
factors: volume porosity (VP), perimeter openness (PO) and exposure to sky (ES); (2) that VP and PO are significantly associated with air velocity and predicted thermal comfort; and (3) that vertical breezeways
appear to be the most thermally comfortable cluster due to high VP and low PO. This study sheds new
light on the spatial nature of semi-outdoor spaces, which designers can consider in order to enhance wind
movement for promoting thermally comfortable semi-outdoor environments in highly-dense Singapor
Evaluation of thermal comfort and building form attributes in different semi-outdoor environments in a high-density tropical setting
In highly dense tropical cities, a semi-outdoor space (SOS) is frequently used as a social space within tall building forms where people can interact and connect. Thermal comfort in SOSs within tall buildings, however, may vary depending on the type and form attributes that define it. This study classifies 63 SOSs in four tall buildings of Singapore into five types based on literature review: perimeter buffers, sky terraces, horizontal breezeways, breezeway atria and vertical breezeways. Findings suggest that the five SOS types perform differently in terms of thermal comfort (based on PMV*), environmental parameters (air temperature, mean radiant temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity), and building form attributes (height-to-depth ratio, open space ratio, and green plot ratio). Of these five, vertical breezeways and horizontal breezeways are the most thermally comfortable for all activities during a typically warm hour. It is postulated that higher thermal comfort levels in these SOS types are linked to form attributes that enhance air velocity. This study examines the pros and cons of each SOS type in terms of thermal comfort in their role as communal spaces in tall buildings situated within a highly dense tropical city
Passive cooling design strategies as adaptation measures for lowering the indoor overheating risk in tropical climates
Year-round high temperatures and humidity in the Tropics, coupled with poor design decisions and climate change, can cause indoor environments to overheat, affecting health and increasing energy demand and carbon emissions. Passive cooling could help lower the indoor overheating risk. Given the gap in the relative influence of passive cooling design strategies on lowering the indoor overheating risk in tropical locations, this study investigated their impact in two warm tropical cities (i.e., Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula), considering both current and future climate scenarios, with a total of 3840 thermal simulations performed. Indoor overheating risk in apartment-type dwellings was assessed using two metrics (i.e., hours of exceedance and the indoor overheating degree), and considering fixed and adaptive thermal comfort limits. Simulation results show that the overheating risk can be significantly lowered in these tropical contexts using solely passive cooling strategies as heat adaptation measures. Multivariate regression models demonstrate that natural ventilation, wall absorptance, the solar heat gain coefficient, and semi-outdoor spaces have the greatest impact in lowering the risk in vertical social housing projects. This study emphasizes the importance of passive cooling and overheating protection design strategies in tropical building codes and building design while considering current and future risk