Passive Strategies for Indoor Thermal Comfort in

Warm Humid Climate

Authors: Induja V Dr P S Chani2
Abstract: Kerala lies on the southwest coast of India between Arabian Sea on the west and Western
Ghats on the east. Architectural Heritage of Kerala is known for its use of natural and passive methods
for a comfortable indoor environment. Laurie Baker has also experimented in creating thermally
comfortable living environments cost effectively. Contemporary architecture influenced by rapid
industrialization witnesses thermal inefficiency and a shift towards mechanical devices for comfort. The
study aims to identify and analyze the various strategies for indoor thermal comfort in domestic
structures of the region taking into consideration the traditional and Baker houses.
Keywords: Indoor thermal comfort; Passive strategies; Thermal Load; Ventilation; Daylighting ; Roof
systems; Wall systems; Ventilation systems; Traditional houses; Baker style houses.

Introduction
The nature of a place must be explored. You dont plunk a building somewhere without the influence of
what is around it .A building is the character of the place, the nature of it

Louis I Kahn, 1970.

Creating thermally comfortable living environs is one of the biggest challenges of an architect especially
in an era of energy crisis. Vernacular architecture of any place has a sensitive adaptation to the local
climate and is rich in different passive techniques to create optimum livable environs. Air-conditioning is
an easy way out in providing comfortable environs within the narrow defined thermal ranges but is not
a desirable solution due to the high energy consumption associated with it. Naturally ventilated
buildings, though they may not be able to always achieve a narrow stringent set of values, are more
acceptable in terms of energy consumption and resource utilization.

As architects we cannot deny the social responsibility of inculcating a moderate lifestyle among people
without irritating their senses by making obvious the comforts denied, if any. Architecture hence attains
the role of a cultural force also, in balancing comfort and consumption factors judiciously.

Investigations on natural and passive ventilation systems in buildings providing thermal comfort are
underway in different parts of the world. The traditional architecture of Kerala (fig 1), evolved on the
principles of climate responsive architecture, is a very successful model in this regard. The change in
social settings i.e. from matrilineal joint families to nuclear families, increased cost of construction, lack
of availability of materials and skilled labor etc can be attributed as reasons for the difficulties in
reproducing the traditional architectural forms as such. After 1940s typical contemporary houses as
seen today (Fig 2), built with high specific heat materials like concrete, attained dominance in the
region. These structures do not fare well in terms of indoor environmental comfort. Laurie Baker was
the first person to experiment on passive design strategies for indoor thermal comfort in the

( M.Arch Scholar, Department of Architecture and Planning, IIT Roorkee

2 Associate Professor, Department of Architecture and Planning, IIT Roorkee.)
 Passive Strategies For Indoor Thermal Comfort In Warm Humid Climate 2013

contemporary scenario. Currently many architects are working in the same line of thought. The paper
briefly discusses the different passive design strategies for indoor thermal comfort in the region
confining to the specific context of Kerala.

Fig 1 Traditional Nalukettu at Mukhathala, Kollam

Fig 2 Contemporary house

Location, Climate, Solar radiation

Kerala is situated at the southernmost tip of India between north latitudes 8.17'.30" N and 12. 47'.40"
N and east longitudes 74.27'47" E and 77.37'.12" E.

The mean daily temperature fluctuates from 26 degree Celsius to 27.5 degree Celsius over the course of
a year. The mean daily maximum temperature ranges from 29 to 32.5 degree Celsius.

Humidity fluctuates through a considerable range. For the same day humidity may range from 70-80 %
at 9 am and 50-60% at 6 pm .So Humidity plays a major role in determining the strategies for achieving
comfort.

Hence Ventilation can be identified as the single most important strategy as far as the region, where
ambient temperature and relative humidity both falls above comfortable limits , is concerned
.Enhancing air movement and cross ventilation by means of various passive strategies like courtyards,

2
 Passive Strategies For Indoor Thermal Comfort In Warm Humid Climate 2013

wind catchers ,properly oriented and sized openings etc has significant impact on comfort. Fig 3 shows
the comfort range for Trivandrum ranging from 23 to 31 degree Celsius .The optimum orientation with
respect to sun path has the longer faade facing N-S direction with a 5 degree tilt.(Fig :4 )

Figure 2 Psychometric Chart

Figure4 Optimum Orientation

3
 Passive Strategies For Indoor Thermal Comfort In Warm Humid Climate 2013

Thermal Load and Indoor Comfort

Thermal load is the single major challenge to be addressed to ensure comfort in a warm humid climatic
context. The major paths of thermal load penetration includes

1. Direct sun rays

2. Conduction through walls, roofs etc.
3. Infiltration of outside air

The most effective strategy to regulate internal temperature

by reducing external load in a warm humid region is to
provide proper ventilation. A paper delivered in July 2004 at
American Solar Energy Conference by Adam Garrick Robins
quantifies in detail the effectiveness of ventilation in
Namboothiri house (fig 5), a typical Baker style house. Total
air volume rate inside the house was calculated to be varying
from 2.16 L/s to 3.6 L/s whereas the worst case scenario
requirement came to only 0.858 L/s. The study clearly proves
that for the region under consideration it is possible to
induce comfort inside domestic structures by proper
orientation and sizing of the windows.

Other strategies include

Reduction of direct heat gain by means of proper

orientation of the building, provision of proper sun
shading devices (10-20% savings in energy required
for cooling),provision of proper roof overhangs,
deploying landscaping as a tool to regulate the Figure 5 Namboothiri house
internal temperature etc.
Reduction in Infiltration of external air-Since outside Source: http://lauriebaker.net/
ambient air temperature will be mostly on the
higher side compared to internal temperature during day time undesirable openings and
ventilators can lead to excessive convective heat gain which can be reduced by proper
positioning and orientation of openings thus ensuring effective air movement and induced
comfort due to stack effect.
Preventing heat buildup and inducing continuous air movement (by strategies like jali walls,
other openings and ventilators, Courtyards etc)
Evaporative cooling and other passive techniques.

U value and thermal comfort

U value can be defined as the heat penetration coefficient which measures heat penetration through
one square meter of construction with one degree Celsius temperature difference between indoor and
outdoor temperatures. U value is affected by the material type as well as its thickness. Higher material
thickness means longer time for heat penetration and hence lesser the U value. Lower U value is
desirable for lesser heat penetration in a warm humid region.

4
 Passive Strategies For Indoor Thermal Comfort In Warm Humid Climate 2013

Roof systems
Roofs are the most exposed to the impacts of solar radiation, as they receive solar radiation whole
through the day. Kerala, situated in the tropical wet zone, has an angle of incidence nearer to normal
during the hotter part of the day. Hence heat gain through the roof is the most important aspect with
respect to indoor comfort. The term roof includes the roof structure, its outer covering, insulation layer
if any as well as the ceiling.

The traditional roof system of the region consists of wooden rafter overlaid with Mangalore tiles over
wooden ceiling. The enclosed attic space act as insulation in itself thus improving the performance of
the roof upto 3 times. Fish clay tiles, laid in an overlapping pattern also successfully modulate the indoor
environment mainly because of the pattern of laying.

Laurie Baker introduced the use of filler slab construction in the region. Filler slab reinforced concrete
slabs perform better than the conventional RCC slab due to the air packets between the tiles. Most of
the contemporary houses in the region have concrete roofs, flat or sloping. The indoor temperature
especially in the upper storey rooms are beyond the levels of comfort and people who can afford resort
to air conditioning. If Initial planning and design development does not taking into consideration the
comfort factor it results in a lot of wasteful duplication at a later stage which in most cases does not go
well with the architectural character of the house as well. Such later additions can be seen in many
houses of the region.

White washing is one of the simplest solutions which can be incorporated to improve the roof
performance by 2.5 times. Proper shading of the roof is also an effective solution. Parasol roofing i.e.
addition of an external ventilated roof skin over the main skin is one of the most viable solutions for
indoor temperature moderation used in the region. To put it in simple terms a parasol roof acts as an
umbrella shading the main roof from solar radiation. Galvanized steel sheets, the common form of
parasol roof used, most commonly in the concrete flat roof structures have additional advantages like
effective space utilization and protection from leakage due to rain. Laying of clay tiles over RCC roofs
also effectively modulate the indoor temperature to some extent.

Proper insulation is also an effective tool in regulating the indoor environmental temperature.
Vermiculite concrete, a light weight concrete with exfoliated vermiculite as aggregate has 20 times
insulating capacity and is only 15 % by weight of normal concrete. Low thermal conductivity, low
moisture content and ease of placement are the other advantages. It can also be used in conjunction
with other insulating materials like polystyrene boards to form a total roofing system.

Apart from the roof systems and the climatic factors the surface colour of the roof and its orientation
also affects its performance.

Table 1 provides the list of common roof systems, traditional and contemporary, in the region along
with the U value of the roof system (source: Kabre,Chitrarekha, A new thermal performance index for
dwelling roofs in the warm humid tropics,2010 )

Common Roof systems found in the area

Table 1 provides the list of common roof systems, traditional and contemporary, in the region along
with the U value as well as excessive ceiling temperature of the roof system (Kabre, 2010).Case 1 roof
system consisting of Mangalore tile on wooden rafter with wooden ceiling has a very low U value
(within the acceptable limit) and excess ceiling heat is also less. But when the same ceiling is provided

5
 Passive Strategies For Indoor Thermal Comfort In Warm Humid Climate 2013

without wooden ceiling as in case 8, the U value increased to 5.29 W/m2K and excessive ceiling heat to
8K.This is because in the former case, the air gap acts as the major insulating factor which aids in
regulating the overall U value as well as the excessive heat gain of the ceiling thus inducing thermal
comfort. Similarly if we compare the case of RCC slabs with and without Mangalore tiles overlaid on
them (Case 4 and Case 7 respectively) we find that RCC slabs with Mangalore tiles is a better performer
(refer the table 1).The air pockets in between the Mangalore tiles can be the major reason for the
superior performance of case 4.

Case 1 as well as case 11 has U value within the acceptable limit but case 11 will respond better due to
its lesser excessive ceiling temperature. Red mud polymer roof (case 12) is the worst choice for the
region due to its high U value (4.98 W/m2K) as well as highest excessive ceiling temperature (15K)

Table 1 Roof systems of the region with U Value (Kabre, 2010)

CaseNo. Roof System U value Excess Ceiling

(W/m2K) Temperature(K)
1 Mangalore tile(15 cms) on wooden rafter , wooden 3
ceiling 1.83
2 Filler slab(100 cms) cement render both sides(12 5
cms) 3.94
3 Fish clay tile (10 cms,2 layers) on wooden rafters 3
4.88
4 Reinforced Concrete(100 cms) 12 cement render(12 2
cms) air gap (25 cms) Mangalore tile 1.96

5 Aluminium sheet (26 gauge) Air cavity(600 cms) 1.49 1

wooden ceiling(20 cms)

6 Funicular shell ,lime concrete(100 cms), gravel 2.45 6

concrete(50 cms) ,cement render(12 cms)

7 Reinforced Concrete slab(100 cms), cement render 3.62 12

on both sides(12 cms)
8 Mangalore tiles (15 cms) Reinforced Concrete rafters 5.29 8
9 Ferrocement channel(25 cms) 3.86 12
10 25 Clay tile(25 cms) cement vermiculite(1:6,125 cms) 1.4 1
Reinforced
Concrete(50 cms) lime concrete (50 cms, brick bats)
broken ceramic tiles
11 Red mud polymer 4.98 15

Wall Systems
The traditional structures were built with wooden walls mostly. Ease of availability, workability and
durability made wood the most preferred material. Teak, Mahogany and Wild jack tree were mostly

6
 Passive Strategies For Indoor Thermal Comfort In Warm Humid Climate 2013

used. Sun dried brick walls, sometimes double layered with an air gap in between was also used. Laterite
and granite was used in places where it was abundantly available.

Laurie Baker introduced rat-trap bond and brick jali walls to the region. Rat-trap bond, laid by placing
bricks on their sides thus producing a 100 mm cavity in between had the advantage of reduction in
material and most importantly reduction in indoor temperature. Brick Jali walls are always in an open
position thus with adequate ventilation to fare well in a warm humid region .

Contemporary architects are also experimenting with mud and compressed stabilized earth blocks
which possess high insulating properties.

Earthen walls are well suited for warm humid climate mainly because of its ability to absorb and release
moisture from the atmosphere thus stabilizing the indoor moisture level.

Surface shading is an integral part of a successful wall system in a warm humid climatic context. Proper
shading by deep overhanging roofs as seen in the traditional houses will reduce the heat penetration by
conduction as well as protect the roof from moisture related issues.

Surface area of the roof is also a major concern. Increase in surface area will increase conductive and
convective heat transfer which will increase inward heat penetration during daytime as well as outward
penetration at night due to the fall in outside ambient temperature at night. Hence cylindrical forms as
seen in Namboothiri house by Laurie baker can be considered preferable solution in comparison to
conventional forms.

Painting the walls with colours that reflect solar radiation is also an effective strategy employed from
earlier times to control internal temperature.

40
35
30
25
20
15 R Value
10
5 Heat it can retain (btu /
0 in/8F)

Fig 3 Comparison of different wall systems found in the area

Fig 3 shows comparative analysis of some of the common wall systems with their corresponding R value
and heat retention capacity. Mud bricks and earthen walls have the highest heat retention capacity (33

7
 Passive Strategies For Indoor Thermal Comfort In Warm Humid Climate 2013

btu/in/8F for mud bricks and 19 btu/in/8F for earthen wall) and least U value (highest R value i.e. 4.4 for
mud bricks and 5.3 for earthen walls).Rat trap bond has lower U value (R value 1.4) and higher heat
retention capacity (10 btu/in/8F) compared to normal brick masonry. Hollow concrete blocks have
highest U value (R value 1.1) and lowest heat retention capacity (8 btu/in/8F).

Day lighting and Ventilation Systems

Daylighting

Opening sizes and orientation are the most important aspects with respect to day lighting and
ventilation. Level of direct sunlight is around 1, 13,000 Lux whereas a brightly lit interior workspace just
require 500 Lux level for proper functioning.Daylighting is a much mis- interpreted concept which is the
major reason for thermal inefficiency of contemporary houses. The traditional houses had smaller
windows with wooden shutters which admitted just the required amount of sunlight based on the
function of the space under consideration. Convective heat gain through such windows can be ignored
as outside ambient temperature will be higher than indoor temperature during day time.

Baker style buildings also followed a similar method with respect to windows and other openings .In
addition Baker employed jali walls as a major tool to let in filtered light while preventing heat
penetration.

Contemporary houses on the other hand possess glazed windows .Even fully glazed French windows are
found in some of the contemporary houses. In a tropical warm humid region 80% of the total heat gain
is through solar radiation and hence it is very essential to curtail the amount of radiation entering the
indoor environment. Large sized glazed windows are the major reason of heat gain in most of the
contemporary houses. Though tendency to emulate a western sense of aesthetics is the major reason
behind the use of large glazed openings we cannot deny the fact that they are psychologically and
aesthetically appealing in comparison with the traditional system. Hence an acceptable solution would
be to employ properly sized and oriented double or triple paned low emissivity glass windows.
Maximum heat admitting windows may be identified and buffered using trees and plants. Provision of
curtains, louvers and fixed overhangs can also reduce the heat penetration to a considerable extent.

Ventilation

The traditional Nalukettu structure (basic unit with four blocks arranged around a central courtyard) has
an intelligent self regulating ventilation system in function which includes:

Verandah effectively functioning as a buffer space shading the walls from penetration of direct
solar radiation.
Courtyards which acts as a self regulating system controlling internal temperature by means of
Venturi effect.
Extensive roof system with double layers (outer layer consisting of Mangalore tiles and wooden
rafters and inner layer consisting of wooden ceiling) which contributes to the climate regulating
aspect due to the low heat adsorbing materials as well as due to the insulating void in
between(attic space).
Gabled openings functioning as an additional ventilation device enhancing the Venturi effect.

The system as a whole was successful in letting in desired amount of sunlight and blocking the extra
heat by means of the roof system with deep overhangs acting as effective sunshades along with
properly sized and oriented openings

8
 Passive Strategies For Indoor Thermal Comfort In Warm Humid Climate 2013

Fig 6 Typical Nalukettu Section (Source: http://archiestudio.in)

Courtyards are seen in many contemporary houses as well. But the successful deployment of stack
effect which made the traditional courtyards thermally efficient is absent in most cases. Instead some
such courtyards with polycarbonate roofs act as small islands trapping solar energy and intensifying the
heat inside the houses .Atria or Light courts provided in contemporary houses to increase day lighting
can be linked with a system of evaporative cooling by providing water sprays at the top or proper
openings can be provided on top to expel hot air to initiate stack effect.

Conclusion
Traditional Indian way of living was inherently energy cautious. A multi faceted life-style with strong
linkages to the environmental and climatic context, appropriateness of materials and technologies used,
functional distribution of space etc clearly depicts the energy consciousness, whether knowingly or
unknowingly, prevalent in the society.

The earlier Indian society, with close linkages to nature, had greater adaptability to climate and hence
the comfort zone was much wider. With the proliferation of modern devices to control climate the
mindset of the people are also getting constricted to a stringent set of comfort values and thus
mechanical devices to control climate are becoming common even in domestic structures.

Lack of social responsibility and vision along with unawareness about the far flung consequences of the
energy intensive construction practices lead to thermal inefficiency indoors. Architects, Planners and
Visionaries should focus on the ways and means to reduce the energy cost incurred in the construction
and maintenance of domestic structures as well as create a general awareness among the society and
people involved in construction activities. Though commendable efforts are happening in case of multi
storeyed large scale structures the domestic architectural practice nationwide is dormant in this regard.

9
 Passive Strategies For Indoor Thermal Comfort In Warm Humid Climate 2013

Traditional materials and techniques should be analyzed in terms of energy consumption .Authorities
should take up research on passive strategies for indoor comfort, materials which can be used to control
internal comfort etc and also incorporate adequate representations from the industry in such
researches so that appropriate materials and techniques for each climatic zone can be produced locally
and made available at a reasonable cost .The Vernacular strategies in existence in Kerala ,though not
much quantitative studies have been done till date, possess immense potential in this regard and need
further research and involvement of the industry as well as eminent visionaries working in the field to
make energy efficient strategies and materials available at reasonable cost and to create awareness
among people and adapt their aesthetic sense in a more nature appropriate way.

References:
1. Correa, C., 1982. Architecture in a Warm Climate. MIMAR 5 :Architecture in Development, pp.
31-35.
2. Dili, A. & Naseer, M. ,. ,. T., 2011. Passive Control Methods for a Comfortable Indoor
Environment : Comparitive Investigation of Traditional and Modern Architecture of Kerala in
Summer. Energy and Buildings, Volume 43, pp. 653-664.
3. Dili, A., Naseer, M. & Vargheses, Z. T., 2010. Passive Control Methods of keralaTraditional
Architecture for a Comfortable Indoor Environment : A Comparitive Investigation During Winter
and Summer. Building and Environment, Volume 45, pp. 1134 -1143.
4. Dili, A., Naseer, M. & Varghese, Z. T., 2010. Passive Control Methods of Kerala Traditional
Architecture for a Comfortable Indoor Environment :Comaparitive Investigation During Various
Periods of Rainy Season. Building and Environment, Volume 45, pp. 2218-2230.
5. Dr. Sharma, A., Dhote, K. & Tiwari, R., 2003. Climatic Responsive Energy Efficient Passive
Techniques in Buildings. IE(I) Journal, Volume 84, pp. 17-26.
6. Givoni, B., 1967. Man,Climate and Architecture. 1 ed. London: Applied Science Publishers
Limited.
7. Kabre, C., 2010. A new thermal Performing index for dwelling roofs in the warm humid tropics.
Building and Environment, Volume 45, pp. 727-738.

10