The impact of materials and design on achieving thermal comfort in Acehnese traditional architecture: An approach to achieve sustainability

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of material selection and architectural design strategies in Acehnese traditional houses on indoor thermal comfort, aiming to contribute to sustainable building practices in hot-humid climates. While thermal comfort has been widely studied, there is limited research on how traditional architectural elements and indigenous materials affect thermal performance. To bridge this gap, this study evaluated thermal comfort using predicted mean vote-predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PMV-PPD) and standard effective temperature (SET) indices, supported by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations conducted using ANSYS. Field measurements were carried out on two traditional house models with differing layouts and roof materials. Additionally, simulation analyses were performed on four models with various wall and roof material combinations. The main numerical results, from both field measurements and simulations show that traditional houses constructed with wooden walls and rumbia (palm leaf) roofing provide superior thermal comfort compared to models using other materials. The key contributing factors include the insulating properties of rumbia, natural ventilation, spatial configuration, and extended roof overhangs that provide shading. These conclusions emphasize the effectiveness of passive design strategies embedded in Acehnese traditional architecture, suggesting their potential application in contemporary sustainable design. The study underscores the value of local knowledge in creating thermally comfortable environments with minimal energy use. However, the scope of the study is limited to a specific regional architectural style and climate, which may affect the generalizability of the results. Despite this, it provides a foundation for future research on the ole of traditional architecture in sustainable building design and supports the efforts to preserve cultural heritage while addressing modern environmental challenges.