A "new" approach to passive design for residential buildings in a tropical climate.

The typical passive design suggested for residential buildings in tropical hothumid climates is a lightweight building with many openings on the north and south walls to allow continuous natural ventilation, shaded by wide overhangs. In reality most people no longer favour this design approach for several reasons: building durability, noise problems. privacy, and social status. The work presented in this paper challenges the typical design suggestions and shows other alternatives that are more suitable for this climatic region. The use of massive construction, which is a common practice in Asia, is tested. Other Investigations include examining the effects of using radiant barriers and roof insulation. changing the building orientation and shading conditions, and using various floor and roof claddings. The results demonstrate that the default approach of using lightweight, continuously ventilated structures, is not necessarily the most climate-responsive for this climatic region. Also, the use of radiant barriers provides the most significant improvement in the indoor thermal comfort.