Singapore

Public residential buildings in Singapore are designed as naturally ventilated. As climate changes, the indoor thermal comfort becomes critical as it depends greatly on the outdoor weather condition. The Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) model developed for Singapore (Givoni, et al., 2006) which depends on indoor air temperature and air speed is used to predict the indoor thermal comfort.

Good indoor air quality (IAQ) enhances occupant health, comfort and workplace productivity. This issue has become more critical in a country like Singapore that has no other natural resources except manpower. In addition, Singapore is located in the tropical region with a hot and humid climate and a large number of the buildings are served by air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) systems to maintain a thermally comfortable indoor environment. The provision of a thermally comfortable indoor environment for the occupants is only one aspect in achieving better indoor air quality.

One of the significant factors affecting the quality of air in the built environment, particularly in the context of hot humid climates, is the design and implementation of the air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation system. While most building regulations would incorporate minimum ventilation requirements al design, it is often difficult to quantitatively measure the adequacy of such ventilation provision in insitu buildings.