Effects Of Exterior Wall Thickness And Room Height On Indoor Thermal Performance Of Heritage Colonial Buildings In George Town, Penang
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Date
2017-08
Authors
Mohamad Omar, Nur Alia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
Government and researchers‘ reports over the years have indicated that energy consumption in Malaysia is on the rise, due to the increasing dependency on air conditioning in buildings, stemming from poor decisions made by building professionals in ignoring passive thermal design strategies. Heritage colonial buildings in George Town on the other hand, have been mentioned in a number of literatures to feature certain passive thermal characteristics which would enable it to perform well in the hot and humid climate of Penang Island. This thesis presents the result of a quantitative research – based on fieldwork and experimental simulation – which sought to find the extent of improvement that can be gained through the manipulation of external wall thickness (thermal mass) and floor-to-ceiling (room) height on a heritage building. Through environmental data collection and simulation of digital models, it is found that by increasing wall thickness and room height to a degree which is higher than practiced in contemporary buildings – but common in heritage buildings – a significant improvement can be achieved resulting in lower indoor air temperature. In using the IES-VE computer simulation program to test individual experimental modifications made to the Edelweiss Café, it was found that thicker wall constructions are better suited for spaces intended for daytime use, as it reduces the daytime indoor temperature to a significant 5°C (maximum) lower than the outdoors. However, night time temperature readings remain high due to large, heat-retaining thermal mass. Tall room heights work well in any space, but addition of vertical space above 4.5 metres result in less significant improvements than it is worth compared to construction cost and labour. The best and most feasible dimensions of all simulated combinations for wall thickness and floor-to-ceiling height, is 350mm and 4.5m respectively.
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Keywords
Ignoring passive thermal design strategies , Heritage colonial buildings in George Town