Thermal Comfort in traditional and sustainable buildings: Comparative analysis of thermal perception in the Middle East and Southeast Asian buildings.

Abstract

Architecture in the Middle East and Southeast Asia plays a role in the fight against extreme temperatures. The countenance of traditional houses and collective spaces in such areas can be considered precursory examples of environmental and sustainable design in the modern sense, as well as a response to external climatic conditions. When respect for the environment and the struggle against climate change are in place, it is vital to find low-impact building solutions that use natural ventilation. But not all the newly constructed buildings present the same conventional and historical features and of course, globalization, and changes in the behavior of the populations contribute to shaping the construction and the face of such properties. This research studies the thermal comfort and perception, green cooling strategies of traditional buildings, and at the same time, their modern counterparts. What’s the thermal perception inside such buildings? How does traditional architecture influence and is used in the construction of contemporary buildings? How much can social aspects affect the choice of alternative cooling? Does aesthetics matter? These are some of the issues that will be covered in the research, where also the population that lives in such areas will be a focus. The relationship between the environment and sustainable, traditional architecture will be studied both from secondary sources and questionnaires with an on-field socio-economic approach. Given that, in western culture, there is extensive abuse of air conditioning in buildings, which of course has a

significant impact on the environment, this research aims to understand and study the traditional and low-impact cooling methods of two of the hottest areas of the world deeply to see if some cooling strategies and architectural features can be considered valid alternatives to our cooling approaches and in case exported to create modern sustainable buildings in Europe.