The satisfaction of natural ventilation in residential building / Farrah Nadhirah Mohd Azlan

As people strive for a desired level of comfort in their homes, the quality of the indoor air in the home is under threat. Because of the high temperature and humidity, occupants use a mechanical cooling strategy to achieve this level of comfort. However, this level of comfort can be achieved through proper natural ventilation without risking indoor air quality (IAQ). Despite the fact that natural ventilation has been shown to be a superior alternative to mechanical cooling in terms of both thermal comfort and IAQ, air conditioner (AC) use is still common in the home, and occupants rarely use natural ventilation through window openings. Lots of studies on the use of natural ventilation in homes have been carried, but in-depth studies of natural ventilation provision and occupant satisfaction with the natural ventilation provided in their home have not been conducted. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the occupants’ satisfaction level on the natural ventilation performance in low-cost terrace houses. The objectives for this research are to identify the best number of windows provided for natural ventilation in selected low-cost terrace houses design and to evaluate the occupant’s satisfaction level on natural ventilation in the low-cost terrace houses. The case studies chosen for this research are three residential areas in Bukit Kuang, Kemaman, which consist Jalan Cempaka Kanan, Jalan Cempaka, and Jalan Bistari. Each of these case studies has a different feature and number of windows. The 30 respondents which consist 10 respondents from each case studies completed the questionnaire through Google Form due to the limitation because of Covid-19 pandemic. All the data will be collected and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and will be analyzed through table or chart to make the it more easier to be read. The finding of this research is that the number or the windows and doors and ventilation block as natural ventilation can affect the level of satisfaction and comfortability of building occupants.