Tenth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

Prime function of a building envelope is to protect the indoors and maintain comfortable conditions. In traditional buildings of warm humid climate, effective passive strategies of climate control based on thermal performance of building materials and ventilation techniques were incorporated. The modern construction has moved away from the traditional building materials in search of more durable and maintenance free buildings, rarely considering thermal comfort and increasing the use of air-conditioning systems. This study compares the thermal performance of different masonry walls commonly found in Kerala, India which is situated in warm humid climate. The analysis is based on filed observations conducted in four buildings with different wall envelope materials namely mud block, clay brick, laterite stone and concrete block, during the summer season of 2019. Continuous monitoring of the outdoor ambient conditions, indoor conditions, as well as the thermal conditions of the surface on the masonry walls were done using Architectural Evaluation System (AES). Time lag, decrement factor, and moisture transfer through walls in addition to their material properties were analyzed. The impact of different materials on indoor climate conditions are analyzed by comparing the cooling load in these buildings. The study concludes that the wall envelope materials significantly influence the cooling load and considerable reduction in energy use is possible through careful selection of masonry materials considering their thermal and moisture performance. Cooling load estimate can be adopted as an indicator for comparing indoor comfort conditions and related energy consumption.