INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF ENVELOPE ON OCCUPANTS THERMAL COMFORT IN OFFICE BUILDINGS OF ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPI

Abstract

Most people spent over 85% of their lives inside buildings. In case, one of the determinants of human performance in indoor environment is Thermal quality. These realities of modern life and the increasing need to better understanding created the opportunities to study and improve the health of building occupants (i.e., Solar radiation, comfort and shading strategies). The aim of this thesis was to assess the effectiveness of Envelope and human thermal comfort. The study focused on the impact of Envelope on occupants�۪ thermal comfort in three office buildings in Addis Ababa city. The assessment was conducted using methodologies such as subjective evaluation, experiment and computer simulation. The result showed that, the ranking of indoor thermal environmental conditions slightly differed between female and male, and between perimeter and interior zone. with large window facades, the indoor temperature gradually rises up and affects occupant�۪s comfort and productivity. Afterwards, the guideline was tested through innovative methodology of using light simulation and critical solar angle analysis which led to solar responsive geometric configuration of facade. This component basically responds to particular thermal discomfort period of the day, which in this study called ���critical time�۪. Generally, the study concerned with the role of building skins (windows, solar shadings) in relation to Solar radiation and the importance of adaptive solar shading as this plays an Important role in Sub tropical climates, like Addis Ababa where the facade has a direct impact on the thermal comfort and Indoor environmental quality. Current window size and building facades mostly used in case buildings were resulted with various complaints. Therefore, as core concept of Architectural design, it is crucial that designers understand solar radiation strategies, shading, and human Thermal comfort.