Relevant indoor ventilation by windows and apertures in tropical climate: a review study

Center for Urban Conservation and Tropical Architecture (UCTA), Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia

Abstract

High temperature and humidity oblige occupants to use mechanical ventilation to regulate indoor temperature in tropical climate. Therefore, energy consumption becomes a challenge facing the designers in primary steps of design. Natural ventilation known as a passive design strategy in buildings is one of the innovative techniques in modern building to reduce operation costs and energy consumption. Although the advantages of natural ventilation are proved by previous studies, few studies have been done on application of openings and apertures designs to maximize indoor air velocity inside the buildings. This study reviews different ventilation methods and techniques which have been applied through openings to identify the most effective architectural elements for adequate ventilation inside the buildings. Comparison of study results shows that building orientation accompanying with apertures size are effective design strategies and techniques to increase indoor air ratio. Finally, the study recommends various form of openings and different form of louvered windows as research gaps for further study.