Reducing overheating risk in naturally ventilated houses through the design of compressed Earth blocks walls in hot dry climate
International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation
ISSN: 2398-4708
Article publication date: 7 October 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Appropriate thermal properties of walls can lead to the improvement of the indoor environment of buildings especially in countries with low energy availability such as Burkina Faso. In order to benefit from these advantages, the thermal properties must be properly characterized. This paper investigates the impact of the design of single- and double-layer walls based on compressed Earth blocks (CEB) on the risk of indoor overheating.
Design/methodology/approach
First a building has been used as a tool to measure climate data. Then, a software program was used to define an accurate thermal model. Two indices were defined: weighted exceedance hour (WEH) related to the risk of overheating and cyclic thickness (ξ) related to the thermal properties of the walls. The aim is to define the appropriate values of ξ which minimized the WEH. The study also assesses the sensitivity of these thermal properties to occupancy profiles.
Findings
The results indicate the arrangements of the thermal properties that can promote comfortable environments. In single-layer wall buildings, ξ = 2.43 and ξ = 3.93 are the most suitable values to minimize WEH for the room occupied during the day and night, respectively. If a double-layer wall is used, ξ = 1.42 and CEB layer inside is the most suitable for the room occupied during the day, while ξ = 2.43 and CEB outside should be preferred in the case of a room with night occupancy profile.
Originality/value
The findings indicate that occupation patterns at room scale should be systematically considered when dealing with wall design in order to improve the thermal comfort.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express gratitude to the “Académie de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supérieur” of the “Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (Belgium)-Commission de la Coopération au Développement” (ARES-CCD) for funding this study as part of an international research and development project “Amélioration de la qualité de l’habitat en terre crue au Burkina Faso-Improving the quality of earth-based housing in Burkina Faso”. The authors would like to thank Madi Kabore for providing the raw data of the experimental study building.
Citation
Hema, C., Nshimiyimana, P., Messan, A., Lawane, A. and Van Moeseke, G. (2022), "Reducing overheating risk in naturally ventilated houses through the design of compressed Earth blocks walls in hot dry climate", International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-12-2021-0160
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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