The role of thermal insulation in the architecture of hot desert climates

Abstract

When we think about a dwelling’s thermal comfort, one of the first things that come to mind is to improve the envelope of the building, usually through the use of thermal insulation. However, in hot desert climate cities, where there is a great temperature oscillation, both daily and annually, the behavior of thermal insulation is not that clear. The city of Hermosillo follows a scattered pattern of urban growth. It has a hot desert climate, an annual mean temperature of 25 °C with an annual mean oscillation of 15 °C; during the summer season it presents extreme temperatures of 40–45 °C, annual precipitation of 387 mm and relative humidity of 43%. The most accepted architectonic strategies to improve the thermal behavior of buildings in hot desert climates are solar protection by shading, especially glazed surfaces, and the use of thermal insulation in the building’s envelope. This study aimed to assess the behavior of thermal insulation use in one storey dwellings. The results obtained show a reduction of energy loses through the envelope of the dwelling when more insulated, resulting in an interior thermal behavior not as favorable as was thought.