Monitoring of a Prototypical Free-Running Building: A Case Study in a Hot-and-Humid Climate

Abstract:

The provision of comfortable indoor conditions is widely considered as one of the key tasks of architecture. Hereby, different climatic regions require different concepts for the operation of buildings. Achieving thermal comfort in buildings in hot and humid regions without Air-Conditioning can be considered as a challenging task. In this context we present a monitoring study of the indoor conditions in a new prototype building, called the Zero Carbon Resort Demonstration Cottage. This building was designed according to passive cooling principles with the intent to reach a high degree of sustainability and to have little environmental impact. To explore the viability of this concept, we deployed a comprehensive monitoring of the outdoor conditions via a weather station and of the indoor conditions via air temperature and relative humidity sensors. Moreover, short-term monitoring of thermal comfort was conducted. In a first analysis step we compared the results of the indoor monitoring with the corresponding outdoor measurements. In a second step we conducted a standardized thermal comfort study. Thereby we considered the special circumstances of the thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings. Results suggest that acceptable indoor conditions can be maintained, if passive cooling methods are applied properly.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 861)
• Pages: 392-400
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.861.392
• Online since: December 2016
• Authors: Sören Eikemeier*, Matthias Schuss, Ulrich Pont, Ardeshir Mahdavi, Robert Wimmer
• Keywords: Hot-and-Humid Climate, Indoor Climatic Assessment, Long-Term Monitoring, Sustainable Building, Thermal Comfort

References

[1] Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the Energy Performance of Buildings (Rev. V. ), Off. J. of the EU L 153/13, Brussels, (2010).

[2] A. Mahdavi, S. Kumar, From Control Strategies to Entropy Considerations: Towards a Human Ecology of Thermal Environment, Hum. Ecol. Rev. 3 (1996) pp.127-140.

[3] R. Wimmer. Zero Carbon Resorts, Appropriate Technology for Sustainable Tourism in the Philippines, Proc. of the Symp.: 30 Jahre Angepasste Technologie – Eine Erfolgsgeschgichte, Vienna University of Technology, (2016).

[4] R. Wimmer et al., Zero Carbon Resorts Handbook Vol. 3, EU SWITCH-Asia program, (2014).

[5] Meteonorm, Climate data Puerto Princesa, Meteonorm database V7. 1. 215160, (2015).

[6] W. Rudloff, World Climates, Sci. Publ. Company, Stuttgart, (1981).

[7] P.O. Fanger, Thermal Comfort - Analysis and Applications in Environmental Engineering, Danish Tech. Press, Copenhagen, (1970).

[8] ASHRAE HANDBOOK Fundamentals (SI), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning, (2005).

[9] DIN EN ISO 7730, Ergonomie der thermischen Umgebung – Analytische Bestimmung und Interpretation der thermischen Behaglichkeit durch Berechnung des PMV- und des PPD-Indexes und Kriterien der lokalen thermischen Behaglichkeit (ISO 7730: 2005), German. V., (2006).

DOI: 10.31030/9720035

[10] DIN EN ISO 7730-1, Ergonomie der thermischen Umgebung – Analytische Bestimmung und Interpretation der thermischen Behaglichkeit durch Berechnung des PMV, German V. EN ISO 7730: 2005, Berichtigungen zu DIN EN ISO 7730: 2006-05, (2007).

DOI: 10.31030/9852496

[11] Z. Lin, S. Deng, A study on the thermal comfort in sleeping environments in the subtropics-Developing a thermal comfort model for sleeping environments, Build. Environ. 43 (2008) pp.70-81.

DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.11.026

[12] Z. Lin, S. Deng, A study on the thermal comfort in sleeping environments in the subtropics-Measuring the total insulation values for the bedding systems commonly used in the subtropics, Build. Environ. 43 (2008) pp.905-916.

DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2007.01.027

[13] P.O. Fanger, J. Toftum, Extension of the PMV model to non-air-conditioned buildings in warm climates, Elsevier J. Energ. Buildings 34 (2002) pp.533-536.

DOI: 10.1016/s0378-7788(02)00003-8