Vernacular passive design in Myanmar housing for thermal comfort

Abstract

Tropical weather is characterized by high humidity, high temperature, and intense solar insolation; therefore, traditional tropical housing is predominantly dependent on natural ventilation and passive cooling for thermal comfort. In the literature and practice, however, there is a gap of knowledge on Myanmar vernacular housing, specifically with regard to the variation in weather caused by climate change. In this paper, the authors review passive design techniques used in Myanmar vernacular houses to achieve thermal comfort. Using an experimental design approach, simulation studies were carried out to compare the impact of various passive design techniques on thermal comfort in three Myanmar climates. Different passive design techniques used in the two houses were further reviewed. Fifteen models were generated through an evaluation of the latter to examine the thermal performance of Myanmar housing throughout a year, with typical weather and predicted future climate scenarios. The results revealed that the efficacy of traditional passive design techniques would not be sufficient to achieve thermal comfort in the predicted future climate scenario. For this reason, the authors suggested that the passive design techniques of Myanmar vernacular housing need to be improved, with innovative solutions in order to cope with the changing climate.

The vulnerability of homes to overheating in Myanmar today and in the future: A heat index analysis of measured and simulated data

“…Tropical buildings tend to have several openings to provide cross-ventilation. High vents prevent the creation of hot air pockets under the ceiling, to remove hot air inside and avoid mould (Rosenlund, 2000., Zune et al, 2020. All these tropical vernacular architecture mechanisms can be seen in vernacular Myanmar (Zune et al, 2020), Thai (Stagno, 2001., Tantasavasdi et al, 2001,…”

“…above the ASHRAE's 80% comfortable upper limit, based on adaptive thermal comfort equation s (Toe and Kubotab, 2015). A simulation experiment for Myanmar housing found that for approximately 20% of the year indoor air temperatures are above 32ºC in timber housing located in the tropical monsoon climate zone and the equatorial winter dry climate zone (Zune et al, 2020). What can be learned from the existing literature is that although "the built form and materiality of vernacular buildings may suggest their climatic provenance, in itself, this is hardly proof of all-year environmental performance" (Weber and Yannas, 2014), and the same inference is true for thermal performance.…”

“…It should be noted in this regard that 'modern' dwellings in the context of Myanmar do not comprise conventional western-style housing units, but simple constructions with metal sheet roofs and brick walls (Zune et al, 2020). Regarding the brick walls, there are three different typical brick wall thicknesses -4.5 inches, 9 inches, or 13.5 inches; this is because3 x 4.5 x 9…”

“…The vast majority of housing is naturally ventilated but a recent study revealed that the efficacy of this and other vernacular passive design techniques would not be sufficient to achieve thermal comfort in predicted future climate scenarios (Zune et al, 2020). Variations in weather caused by climate change, socio-political fluctuations that affect the availability of construction materials, and the rise of short-term solutions for thermal comfort by means of air-conditioning are increasingly prevalent in Myanmar.…”

Optimization of Insulation Thickness of External Walls of Residential Buildings in Hot Summer and Cold Winter Zone of China

“…Among these tools, IES-VE is a popular commercial software used worldwide including China [55]. The validation and accuracy of this software have been proven by the BESTEST (Building Energy Simulation Test) standard of the International Energy Agency (IEA), green building rating schemes and amounts of existing studies [56][57][58][59]. Moreover, it has extensive capabilities for modeling customize systems and controls, which allows for the simulation of the intermittent operation mode of air conditioners in the case study.…”