THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF FACADES IN SCHOOLS

Abstract

Thermal comfort is one of the primary requirements of the interior environment of a school building. Most classrooms in Singapore schools rely on a combination of cross ventilation and mechanical ventilation by fans to achieve thermal comfort. The hot and humid climate of Singapore might have an adverse impact on the comfort of the occupants. The building envelope separating the indoor space from the outdoor environment has an important role in the passive control because it acts as a modifier of the direct effects of climate variables such as the outdoor temperature, humidity, wind, solar radiation and rain. The relationship between the outdoor temperature and solar radiation conditions and the indoor temperature conditions is determined at a building level by the orientation, building form and optical and thermo physical properties of the building envelope. This study investigates the thermal performance of the facade material of a school building in Singapore by conducting field measurements. This study used a computational building performance simulation (TAS simulation software) for investigating the thermal performance of the facade. The field measurement gives significant information about the thermal transmission characteristics of the facade material and their impact on the indoor environment. The simulation gives significant predictions about the thermal performance of the facade over a whole year period and also the impact of the thermo physical properties of the building material on the thermal transmission characteristics of the facade component and consequently its impact on the indoor environment. The observed behavior of the facade material presents significant information for making reasonable design decisions.