Vernacular housing; Solar shading; Thermal simulation; Climatic design strategies; CFD
Abstract :
[en] Energy conservation issues and environmental problems in recent years have increased interest in
traditional architecture which is well known for its energy saving designs. This paper thoroughly
investigates vernacular housing designs and evaluates on the aspect of building physics. A new research methodology which is adapted to the natural and social context of Vietnam was proposed and applied. The process was carried out step by step, including: climate zoning, systematic analysis, in-situ survey and building simulations. The results of this study indicate that vernacular housing in Vietnam is creatively adapted to the local natural conditions and uses various climate responsive strategies. Through this study, the most frequently used strategies and their effectiveness were derived. The authors also found that under extreme weather conditions, traditional designs might not be sufficient to maintain indoor thermal comfort.
Research center :
LEMA : Local Environment Management and Analysis Lepur : Centre de Recherche en Sciences de la Ville, du Territoire et du Milieu rural
Disciplines :
Architecture
Author, co-author :
Nguyen, Anh Tuan ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Form. doct. art bâtir & urba.
Tran, Quoc Bao
Tran, Duc Quang
Reiter, Sigrid ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département Argenco : Secteur TLU+C > Urbanisme et aménagement du territoire
Language :
English
Title :
An investigation on climate responsive design strategies of vernacular housing in Vietnam
Publication date :
14 April 2011
Journal title :
Building and Environment
ISSN :
0360-1323
eISSN :
1873-684X
Publisher :
Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science, Oxford, United Kingdom
Vietnam Ministry of construction.In: Proceeding of the seminar "Effective and economic usage of energy and resources in building sector" (Hanoi); 2010.
Coch H. Bioclimatism in vernacular architecture. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 1998, 2(1-2):67-87.
Dili A.S., Naseer M.A., Varghese T.Z. Passive control methods of Kerala traditional architecture for a comfortable indoor environment: comparative investigation during various periods of rainy season. Building and Environment 2010, 45:2218-2230.
Cañas I., Martín S. Recovery of Spanish vernacular construction as a model of bioclimatic architecture. Building and Environment 2004, 39:1477-1495.
Vissilia A.M. Evaluation of a sustainable Greek vernacular settlement and its landscape: architectural typology and building physics. Building and Environment 2009, 44:1095-1106.
Manioǧlu G., Yilmaz Z. Energy efficient design strategies in the hot dry area of Turkey. Building and Environment 2008, 43:1301-1309.
Yoshino H., Hasegawa K., Matsumoto S. Passive cooling effect of traditional Japanese building's features. International Journal of Management of Environmental Quality 2007, 18-5:578-590.
Vietnam building code 2009-QCVN 02: 2009/BXD - natural physical & climatic data for construction 2009, Ministry of Construction of Vietnam, Hanoi.
Tran TQH. A study on the history of Viet's traditional timer houses in Vietnam. Ph.D thesis. Tokyo Metropolitan University; 2005.
Hammond G., Jones C. Inventory of carbon and energy, version 1.6a 2008, The University of Bath.
Berge B. The ecology building materials 2001, Architectural Press, Oxfords, UK, [in English].
Spence R.J.S., Cook D.J. Building materials in developing countries 1983, John Wiley & Sons, UK.
Walker R. Density of materials. Available on [accessed 07.10.10]. http://www.simetric.co.uk.
Bui QB and Morel JC. Assessing the anisotropy of rammed earth. In: Proceedings of the 11th international conference on non-conventional materials and technologies (Nocmat 2009). (Bath, UK); 2009.
Ergonomics of the thermal environment - Instruments for measuring of physical quantities 1998, International Organization for Standardization, ISO 7726-1998, Geneva.
Natural illumination in civil building-design standard 1991, Ministry of Construction. TCXD 29:1991:, Hanoi.
Kubota T., Toe Hooi Chyee D., Ahmad S. The effects of night ventilation technique on indoor thermal environment for residential buildings in hot-humid climate of Malaysia. Energy and Buildings 2009, 41:829-839.
de Dear RJ. Thermal prediction calculator. Available at [accessed 12.11.10]. http://web.arch.usyd.edu.au.
Ergonomics of the thermal environment - analytical determination and interpretation of thermal comfort using calculation of the PMV and PPD indices and local thermal comfort criteria 2005, International Organization for Standardization, ISO 7730-2005, Geneva.
ASHRAE standard 55-2004. Thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy 2004, ASHRAE, Inc, Atlanta. GS.
Brager G.S., de Dear R.J. A ASHRAE standard for natural ventilation. ASHRAE Journal Oct 2000, [version: reprint with permission].
Fanger P.O., Toftum J. Extension of the PMV model to non-air-conditioned buildings in warm climates. Energy and Buildings 2002, 34:533-536.
Gebremedhin K.G., Wu B.X. Characterization of flow field in a ventilated space and simulation of heat exchange between cows and their environment. Journal of Thermal Biology 2003, 28(4):301-319.
Glória Gomes M., Rodrigues A.M., Mendes P. Experimental and numerical study of wind pressures on irregular-plan shapes. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 2005, 93:741-756.
Nguyen A.T., Reiter S. The effect of ceiling configurations on indoor air motion and ventilation flow rates. Building and Environment 2011, 46:1211-1222.
Spalding D.B. The phoenics encyclopedia 2009, Available from, [accessed 20.11.10]. http://www.cham.co.uk/phoenics/d_polis/d_enc/encindex.htm.
Ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality 2004, ASHRAE standard 62.1-2004, ASHRAE, Inc, Atlanta. GS.
Autodesk Inc. Ecotect analysis 2011 (educational version). Available at [accessed 01.06.10]. http://www.students.autodesk.com.
Izuba energies. Pleiades-comfie software. Available at [accessed 07.04.10]. http://www.izuba.fr.
Peuportier B. Bancs d'essais de logiciels de simulation thermique. Journée Thématique SFT-IBPSA Mars 2005.
de Dear R.J., Brager S.G. Thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings: revisions to ASHRAE Standard 55. Energy and Buildings 2002, 34:549-561.
