ASSESSING THE THERMAL EFFECTIVENESS OF BUILDING MATERIALS IN

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS WITHIN HOT AND HUMID REGIONS.

GATAMA SAMUEL MBARO

BARC/132J/2019

SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

AT THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MOMBASA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE UNIT EAR 4506: RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL

OCTOBER 2024
DECLARATION

I, Gatama Samuel Mbaro, hereby wish to declare that this research is my own work and has
not to the best of my knowledge, been published or presented in any university for the
awarding of any academic merit.

Student details.

Name: …………………………………………….

Sign: ……………………………………………….

Date: ……………………………………………….

Supervisor details

I ………………………………………………………. The supervisor do confirm that this is a real

account of the project taken over by the student under my handling and has been presented to
the technical University of Mombasa bearing acceptance.

Sign: ………………………………………………….

Date: …………………………………………………

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DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this research to my father Paul Gatama Ndung’u for his continuous
support both academically and emotionally. To my mother Jane Wangui Gatama for
encouraging me through the years and my siblings for their unwavering support in my
academic journey.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

To my father Paul Gatama Ndungu, thank you for your selflessness in providing for my needs
and your encouragement through my academic years.

To my mother Jane Wangui Gatama and siblings, I would not have come this far without your
emotional and spiritual support.

To my tutor Arch Onesmus K. Mwatu, am truly thankful for your commitment and dedication
toward ensuring that I achieve the best I can.

To my classmates, I will forever be grateful for the encouragements and ideas we have shared
throughout the years.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents
DECLARATION ...................................................................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION .........................................................................................................................................iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ......................................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................................. vi
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................. vii
LIST OF GRAPHS ............................................................................................................................... viii
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ............................................................................................ ix
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background to the Study .............................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Problem Statement ....................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Objectives of the Study ................................................................................................................ 2
1.4 Hypotheses ................................................................................................................................... 3
1.4.2 Null Hypothesis ........................................................................................................................................ 3
1.4.2 Research Hypotheses................................................................................................................................ 3
1.5 Variables....................................................................................................................................... 3
1.5.1 Independent Variable ............................................................................................................................... 3
1.5.2 Dependent Variable .................................................................................................................................. 3
1.5.3 Extraneous/Intervening Variable .............................................................................................................. 3
1.6 Assumptions ...................................................................................................................................... 3
1.7 Study Scope ....................................................................................................................................... 4
1.8 Study Justification ............................................................................................................................. 4
1.9 Study Limitations .............................................................................................................................. 4
1.10 Ethical Issues ................................................................................................................................... 4
1.11 Organization .................................................................................................................................... 4

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure1.0: St. Annes Academy classroom attempt at cross ventilation

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LIST OF TABLES

vii
LIST OF GRAPHS

viii
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
• CFC’s chlorofluorocarbon
• HVAC heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
• R.O.I Return on Investment
• S.R.I Sustainable Research Innovation

ix
ABSTRACT

x
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study

Thermal comfort of spaces highly affects the productivity and performance of students, thus the need
to create a comfortable thermal environment. Majority of the countries in the hot and humid areas
consume a high percentage of their energy to meet their air conditioning demands. Mombasa being a
good example of a hot and humid area experiences this problem. This is because adoption of the
universal style of constructing learning institutions limits climatic responsive architecture leading to a
sharp increase in the use of mechanical systems. These mechanical systems used in design to achieve
thermal comfort are costly, with operational hazards and cause environmental problems such as O-
zone layer depletion from the CFC’s used in HVAC systems. In this modern society where students
spend 90% of their time indoors, there is a need to design sustainable buildings that create healthy
and comfortable indoor thermal environment both in the classrooms and their leisure areas due to
heat generation caused by high occupancy, training and machine use. (SRI Conference 6 - 8 May, 2015)

The thermal properties of materials used in construction of the building envelop, such as the walls,
will affect the indoor thermal comfort. Heat gain into the interior may be through conduction by the
walls, roof and floors and also radiation at the surfaces but it will also be highly dependent on the
materials thermal mass and thermal transmittance. The relationship between thermal properties of
building materials and thermal comfort should form a basis for construction materials to be used in
the building envelop to achieve a comfortable indoor environment for maximum performance of
learners. (SRI Conference 6 - 8 May, 2015)

figure1.0: St. Annes classroom attempt at cross ventilation

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1.2 Problem Statement

Warm and humid climatic regions are the most difficult to design for thus design should be careful to
create thermal comfort during the day and night. Scarce information and application of bioclimatic
strategies pose a barrier in achieving sustainable buildings in different climatic zones in the tropics.
Mombasa exhibits various building typologies that responds differently to the region’s climate. The
traditional buildings used thatched roofs and mud walls while the contemporary buildings have
adopted the universal design that limit bioclimatic design in the region. (Energy Performance of
Buildings, George Baird).

Most of the focus by the architects in the region is on the sun shading devices, narrow plans and
orientation of the building openings towards the north-south axis. In addition to that, the thermal
properties of the building materials should also be considered since they play a crucial role in the
overall performance of the buildings. Unfortunately, the consideration of every strategy is more often
than not undermined by the tight budget allocated in the construction while at the same time trying
to maximize on the R.O.I of the project.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

i. Identify and recommend the thermal effective materials for buildings in the hot and humid
regions.
ii. Analyzing the thermal behavior of building materials when exposed to the hot and humid
climatic conditions.
iii. Identify the adjustments that can be made to ensure optimal thermal performance from the
application of the materials chosen

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1.4 Hypotheses

1.4.2 Null Hypothesis

Students who study in thermal comfortable environments do not automatically perform well than
students who study in uncomfortable indoor environments.
1.4.2 Research Hypotheses
Students who study in thermal comfortable classrooms, on average, perform well academically than
students who study in uncomfortable indoor environments.

1.5 Variables

1.5.1 Independent Variable

The building materials chosen directly affect the internal environment. The right materials to be used
on the building envelop must be carefully selected based on their thermal properties so as to achieve
thermal comfort in the interior environment of the learning institution
1.5.2 Dependent Variable

Thermal performance of the interior environment is dependent on the building materials chosen with
all other factors remaining constant. The coolness or hotness of the room will vary due to the heat
transmittance and thermal mass of building materials used on the exterior envelop of the building.

1.5.3 Extraneous/Intervening Variable

In as much as the architect designs the sustainable building for a cool comfortable environment for
students to study well, good performance of the students highly depends on their individual effort
and their tutors experience. The architect’s hands are therefore tied in making students to perform
well. Best they can do is provide the environment for the students to maximize their efforts.

1.6 Assumptions
i. Constructing institutions with the right thermo-effective building materials will create a cool
interior environment.
ii. Students’ performance will increase due to provision of a comfortable thermal environment.
iii. The thermal properties of materials will remain constant without significant change due to
environmental factors.
iv. The learning institutions will be constructed according to the building standard principles to
maximize on the thermal effectiveness of the building.
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1.7 Study Scope
1.8 Study Justification
1.9 Study Limitations
1.10 Ethical Issues
1.11 Organization

2.0 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Theoretical Framework
2.1; 2.2; 2.3;…;2.n Topical areas
2.(n+1) Conceptual Framework

3.0 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Methods and Strategies
3.2 Data Collection Techniques
3.3 Data Collection Tools
3.4 Sampling Strategies
3.5 Measurement and Scaling Techniques
3.6 Validity and Reliability of Data
3.7 Data Presentation and Analysis

REFERENCES

1. Determination of the Thermo-physical Properties of Walling Materials for Thermal Comfort in

the Sub-Tropic Highland Climate, Kenya R. N. Kariuki, B. N. Mugwima and J. W. Kalul
Proceedings of the Sustainable Research and Innovation (SRI) Conference 6 - 8 May, 2015

2. Energy Performance of Buildings Authors George Baird, Ph.D. Michael R. Donn, M.Sc. Frank
Pool, M.E. William D. S. Brander, M.Sc. Chan Seong Aun, B.BSc., B. Arch. Energy Research
Group School of Architecture Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand