Technical, Cultural and Behavioural Factors

The research aim is to investigate residents’ behavioural and cultural aspects of thermal comfort perceptions and adaptation and their relationship to objective measurements of temperature in contemporary and vernacular single family houses in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia.

Contemporary Saudi residential buildings are heavily dependent of mechanical cooling. In order to enhance thermal comfort in Saudi buildings, the study focuses on recording and evaluating the thermal performance and thermal comfort perceptions of residents in both contemporary and vernacular single family houses in the hot-arid climate in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia.

The research combines in-situ scientific measurements of temperature and perceptual data of thermal comfort from the point of view of the residents of the houses where measurements are taken.

The research employs a number of research methods according to the research objectives and collecting both quantitative and qualitative data.

The research methodologies used are:

1. Literature review and analyses of secondary data;
2. Interviews and surveys with the residents of the selected case study houses, using phone and/or online interviews with both male and female the adult residents. Thermal comfort survey is used to identify perceptions of comfort at different times of the day during the summer season when temperatures reach their peak;
3. Site visits and direct observation of the housing units and their environment; (observational study)
4. On-site measurements of outdoor and indoor temperatures and evaluation (quantitative);
5. Numerical simulation data (quantitative);
6. Analysis of data collected through interviews, surveys, data loggers, and from numerical simulation.

The results of this study will provide a new understanding of behavioural and cultural aspects related to perception of thermal comfort and will allow the formulation of recommendations regarding not only for the design of more energy efficient houses but also addressing behavioural aspects of the residents.

This is the first investigation of its kind in Saudi Arabia.