AN EVALUATION OF THERMAL COMFORT CONDITIONS IN AN URBAN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE IN HOT-DRY CLIMATE OF NIGERIA (Published)
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of environmental design parameters on thermal comfort conditions in an urban entertainment centre located in the hot-dry climate of Nigeria. Building designs in Nigeria now tend towards mix-use functions as in the case of an urban entertainment centre, therefore, making thermal comfort a necessity. Unfortunately in the hot-dry climatic regions of Nigeria, buildings fulfill this requirement through total dependence on mechanical means of cooling to solve for overheating. It was evident that some design parameters caused this undesirable situation. The study therefore focused on understanding and evaluating the effects of design-dependent elements such as materials of building envelop, thermal mass, the size and orientation of windows, shading and vegetation on thermal comfort conditions in the case study building. Data loggers were used to record temperature and humidity data in predetermined rooms. Data was collected during certain periods in April, May, and June 2013. Hypotheses were developed and statistically tested using ANOVA. The study showed that temperature based on ASHRAE standards 55-66 and OSAHS 1997 was above comfort range in all the spaces investigated. Further, the results showed that the effect of thermal mass was almost the same for most of the spaces, primarily due to the fact that most of the building had been constructed with thick concrete walls. In terms of thermal performance, the building materials used, number and orientation of the exterior walls, orientation and size of windows and also sun shading with surrounding vegetation were most effective design parameters for the spaces investigated.
Keywords: Building Orientation, Data Logger, Thermal Comfort, Thermal Mass, Urban entertainment centre, material of building envelope