STUDY OF PASSIVE DESIGNS AND THERMAL COMFORT IN SINGAPORE SCHOOL CLASSROOMS

Abstract

In Singapore, providing thermal comfort through passive designs has always been a challenge especially in school classrooms due to the naturally ventilated setting and hot and humid local climate. The problem of overheating in classrooms has greatly compromised the learning efficiency and productivity of students. This paper aims to assess the development of passive cooling designs by evaluating the classroom designs in 5 schools that are built in 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Indoor thermal comfort survey is conducted among students in these 5 schools to find out students‘ thermal sensations of indoor climate and thus to deduce the factors that can be improved for a cooler learning environment. Ventilation is identified as the most crucial factor in the improvement of classroom designs. Case studies of traditional and modern strategies of ventilation in tropics are then reviewed and discussed with regard to feasibility of adaptation in the local climate. Strategies that could be adopted in the local classrooms are summarized. Finally, suggestions are provided based on the case study information and passive solutions including the natural ventilation method and new technologies are proposed.