Analysis of thermal and humidity comfort of traditional versus current construction systems in Santa Ana-Ciudad Colón (Costa Rica)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/ic.10.047Keywords:
Thermal comfort, tropical climate, adobe, concrete, construction systemsAbstract
This research was carried out in Santa Ana- Ciudad Colón (Costa Rica). The aim of this study is to compare comfort between traditional (adobe houses with ceramic tile roofs) and modern (block or precast concrete houses with galvanized sheet roofs) building systems. To analyze comfort it was designed an experiment measuring real climatic parameters in a set of houses of different building systems. Data was analysed using ISO 7730 and ASHRAE Standard 55 rules, considering variables such as the predicted mean vote (PMV), predicted percentage dissatisfied (PPD) and the thermal sensation of the body for different scenarios of humidity, temperature, wind, user activity and shelter. Results show that comfort increases when the house has thick exterior walls under studied climate conditions that ensure thermal inertia and insulated roof covers to avoid over-abstraction of heat. Traditional homes present comfortable conditions in at least 97% of the recorded time while current houses present comfortable conditions
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