Using Ventilated Envelopes to Improve the Thermal Performance of Buildings in Hot-Humid Climate

Abstract

Many attempts have been made to design buildings that reduce the heat gain inside the building. In hot-humid region, architects deal with many forces of nature. These forces might be Rain, Humidity, and solar heat gain. Thermal mass was been used for centuries in hot-arid region as a way to limit the dry-bulb temperature swing inside the building. However, there are some architects who agree that thermal mass materials could be used in hot-humid climate. This thesis project suggests using ventilated envelope that incorporates thermal mass in the design of the ventilated envelope. The result of the experiment shows that using ventilated envelopes with thermal mass would allow the heat gained in the cladding and in the thermal mass to be released to the air cavity and therefore releasing the heat from the building to the exterior atmosphere. The ventilated facade could be improved by adding thermal insulation and by using reflective materials on the cladding.