Andrew John Wright

Field measurements undertaken in six paired primary school classrooms in Anambra State, Nigeria, previously demonstrated that interlocking compressed earth block (ICEB) classrooms maintained significantly lower occupied-hour temperatures than adjacent sandcrete block (SCB) classrooms. This study applies DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus simulation, evaluated against field measurements, to investigate the physical mechanisms underlying this observed thermal advantage and to explore seasonal performance beyond the period accessible through field monitoring. Simulation models were developed using literature-derived thermophysical properties and validated against field measurements collected at Awkuzu Primary School on 2 July 2024. Model accuracy was assessed using ASHRAE Guideline 14 metrics. The ICEB model achieved NMBE of −6.4% and CV(RMSE) of 6.8%, satisfying both recommended thresholds. The SCB model achieved CV(RMSE) of 15.6%, while NMBE of −14.0% marginally exceeded the recommended threshold because of conservative TMYx boundary conditions. Results indicate that the superior wet-season performance of ICEB classrooms is attributable to the interaction between high thermal mass (μ = 0.31; φ = 9.1 h) and continuous cross-ventilation. Parametric crossover simulations demonstrated that ventilation was the dominant cooling mechanism, while ICEB wall thermal mass provided an additional independent thermal benefit of approximately 0.31 °C. This material contribution is secondary in magnitude to the ventilation effect and is not presented as a standalone practical advantage. Dry-season simulations suggested a possible reversal of performance under near-calm harmattan conditions; however, the magnitude and direction of this effect remain uncertain because of EPW boundary-condition limitations. The findings suggest that classroom thermal performance depends on the interaction between envelope thermal mass and ventilation configuration rather than material properties alone and highlight the potential importance of controllable ventilation in naturally ventilated educational buildings in tropical climates.

The global climate is warming rapidly, with increasing frequency of severe events including heatwaves. Building insulation standards are improving to reduce emissions, but this can also lead to more overheating. Historically, UK house designers have not included adaptation measures to limit this. Most studies of the problem have had limited geographical or future climate scope. This study considers the comfort performance of a small modern house, in detached, semi-detached, and terrace (row) forms, but otherwise identical. Overheating is evaluated according to established criteria, including night-time bedroom hours over 26 °C. Simulations are carried out using median future weather years for current, 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s climates under medium- and high-emission scenarios for 14 regions of the UK. The results show a very large increase in overheating by the 2080s in all regions. With solar shading and natural ventilation, overheating is reduced considerably, maintaining comfort in most northern regions in the 2050s and a few northern regions in the 2080s. Differences between medium and high emissions are generally less than between different decades. Terraced (row) houses consistently overheat slightly more than semi-detached, with detached showing the least overheating.

In hot arid climates, air conditioning in the summer dominates energy use in buildings. In Kuwait, energy demand in buildings is dominated by cooling, which also determines the national peak electricity demand. Schools contribute significantly to cooling demand, but also suffer from poor ventilation. This paper presents analysis of a ventilation and cooling system for school classrooms using a wind catcher for natural ventilation and evaporative cooling. A school classroom in Kuwait with single-sided ventilation was modelled using the DesignBuilder V5.4/EnergyPlus V9.1 software and calibrated using field data. The model was used to analyse the performance of a wind catcher, with and without evaporative cooling, in terms of energy use, thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Compared to the baseline of using air-conditioning only, a wind catcher with evaporative cooling was found to reduce energy use by 52% during the summer months while increasing the comfortable hours from 76% to 100% without any supplementary air conditioning. While the time below the ASHRAE CO₂ limit also improved from 11% to 24% with the wind catcher, the indoor air quality was still poor. These improvements came at the cost of a 14% increase in relative humidity. As the wind catcher solution appears to have potential with further development; several avenues for further research are proposed.