全球暖化嚴重影響了都市地區，人們一天80％至90％的時間都花在室內環境，這使人們更注重室內熱舒適，尤其是在熱帶都市住宅。建築外殼主要由牆體所構成並主要提供室內熱舒適，為減緩全球暖化，材料應滿足居住者需求及解決環境問題，提高牆體性能以改善室內熱舒適是主要方法，天然材料的應用有助減緩全球暖化。到2050年前，將近50%的世界人口將居住在熱帶地區，但該地區室內熱舒適研究卻普遍缺乏，熱舒適評量應基於實際環境中的熱舒適感覺。基此，本研究著重在受訪者熱舒適感覺，進而探討出適合熱帶都市住宅提升室內熱舒適之牆體設計方法。本研究以馬來西亞極具代表性之都市住宅類型-排屋為例，試圖將天然材料(泥土與植物纖維)應用於牆體，透過對照組(有和無天然材料應用於牆體的室內空間)讓受訪者進行空間體驗，再採用半結構式訪談法了解受訪者熱舒適感覺。結果表明，兩個體驗空間的平均溫差於0.4°C內，平均濕度差於1.2%內，但受訪者有明顯不同的熱舒適感覺，針對天然材料應用於牆體的室內空間體驗的回饋，受訪者熱舒適感覺和心理現象都呈正面的回應。泥土用於牆體有助提升居住者可接受的溫濕度範圍，受訪者回饋反映了對牆體設計的需求，善用天然材料特性有助改善室內熱舒適。
Global warming has serious impacts on urban areas. The world as people spend about 80–90% of their time in indoor environments. This makes people pay more attention to indoor thermal comfort, especially in tropical climate’s urban house. The building envelope is mainly composed of walls and mainly provides indoor thermal comfort. In order to face the global warming issue, materials used should meet the needs of occupants and solve environmental problems. Natural materials present most of the characteristics of being environmentally friendly and improving indoor comfort. Building envelope is closely related to indoor thermal comfort, and increasing the walls’ performance is one of the key methods. According to the State of the Tropics survey, about 50% of the world’s inhabitants would live in the tropical regions before 2050, and consequently the demand for indoor thermal comfort in this region is increasing dramatically, but there is a general lack of research on indoor thermal comfort in this area. Thermal comfort evaluation should be based on the thermal sensation in the actual environment. This research focuses on the thermal comfort sensation of the participants, in order to explore another way for tropical climate’s urban house to improve indoor thermal comfort. This research takes Malaysia's most representative type of urban house - terrace house as an example. The effects of natural materials (clay and natural fibers) applied to walls on indoor thermal comfort is explored in this study. Short-term experience and semi-structured interviews were used to understand participants’ thermal comfort, this study interviews participants after them undergoing the experience in the control group (room with and without natural materials applied to the wall). The average temperature difference between the two rooms is within 0.4°C, and the average humidity difference is within 1.2%, but the results show that the participants have different feelings and mental states under the same conditions. This study found that the use of clay helped increase the acceptable temperature and humidity range for the occupants. The good use of natural materials’ properties can achieve better indoor thermal comfort. Participants’ feedback reflects the demand for wall design, and the good use of natural material properties can help improve indoor thermal comfort.
