Thermal comfort conditions in residential buildings vary according to the designs, modifications of the house and adaptations of the occupants. The purpose of this paper is to examine thermal performance of terrace housing in tropical climate by exploiting internal courtyard. A case study of a terrace house was chosen, where field measurement was conducted during a three-day recording in naturally ventilated spaces of the house. Results from field measurement were used to develop a baseline model for computational experiment. Subsequently, the effects of introducing an internal courtyard on thermal comfort performance of the building were investigated using ECOTECT software. The results from simulation analysis indicate that, applying internal courtyard in the terrace house will improve natural ventilation and thermal comfort in spaces with openings to the outside environment. It shows that the influence of the internal courtyard on the thermal condition has a strong reliance on the envelop openings. This study suggests that the internal courtyard of a terrace house can affect improvements in thermal conditions of the courtyard's surrounding spaces, provided sufficient and efficient openings with shading devices are suitably incorporated.

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The fundamental characteristics and physical properties of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) fibers cultivated and subjected to three different water frequencies in Universiti Putra Malaysia, were analyzed. For deep analysis, which includes micro-scale viewing for identification of kenaf cell wall structure, fibers were viewed in order to study the physical characteristics, anatomy, and lignin distribution. The chemical composition was determined considering Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) methods. Water stress treatments were imposed on the plants four weeks after germination when they had attained more than four leaves: daily watering based on soil field capacity (100% ER; well watered), water stress imposition 1 month after seedling establishment completion (1MAS) and water stress imposition at flowering stage (AFS). Each water treatment was replicated three times in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) in split plot arrangement with water treatments as the main plots and the varieties as the sub-plots; irrigation system was applied for the purpose. Different water treatments and different varieties at the end of experimental period had significant impact on fiber dimensions and physiological attributes. Fiber quality attributes, gas exchange rate and growth parameters were affected in negative way when all varieties had been subjected to water stress regardless of time of stress imposition.