Evaluating Thermal Comfort and the Influence of Passive Design Strategies in Free-Running Local Dwellings of Wadi Hadramout, Yemen.

Abstract

In least developed countries such as Yemen, severe power shortages limit the use of air conditioning for maintaining indoor thermal comfort. In Hadramout province, located in the east of Yemen, climate-responsive adobe dwellings are gradually being replaced by modern buildings that disregard local climate conditions and rely entirely on mechanical ventilation to achieve thermal comfort, particularly during the summer. This paper compares the thermal performance of adobe, concrete, and stone dwellings in Wadi Hadramout during summer using on-site measurements and computer simulations. Additionally, the paper explores the potential impact of passive design strategies on improving indoor thermal comfort in the aforementioned houses. The results indicate that the internal operative temperature is lower and more stable throughout the day in the adobe house compared to the concrete and stone houses. Furthermore, it was found that certain passive design strategies significantly enhance the thermal performance of the tested houses.