ABSTRACT
Between February and May, there is a time when temperatures are high and relative humidity is low, which is what Nigeria's hot, dry climate zone is known for. With low internal air velocity, the daily mean maximum internal temperature of the majority of buildings during these months is roughly 37 °C. According to a study of residential structures in Benin City of Edo state, Nigeria the majority of building occupants experience ongoing and worsening indoor air quality issues as a result of the buildings' high interior temperatures. Lack of climate-appropriate design is a common feature of most structures, necessitating a lot of energy to keep them cool during harsh weather. Inadequate surface-volume ratio, improper building orientation, and inadequate natural ventilation are further issues. The occupants' physiological comfort, ability to do both mental and physical labour, health, and leisure are all negatively impacted as a result of this. In order to reduce energy consumption for cooling, increase occupant comfort, and improve low energy architecture, this study offers passive design solutions that may be used in this climate zone. The goal is to decrease excessive reliance on power demand and energy consumption in residential structures thereby making these structures affordable now and in the long term. The study's findings indicate that implementing specific passive design methods through sensible material selection, sensible building orientation, sufficient natural ventilation, and use of particular design components can result in natural cooling and lower energy consumption for cooling buildings. The conclusion is that doing so will reduce the energy needed for cooling while also producing architecture that is climate-adapted, which will motivate construction experts in a hot, dry region to come up with innovative design solutions.
Keywords: architecture, buildings, climate, cooling, comfort, design, energy, passive, residential, strategies.
