Simulation of a typical house in the region of Antananarivo, Madagascar. Determination of passive solutions using local materials

Abstract

This paper deals with new proposals for the design of passive solutions adapted to the climate of the highlands of Madagascar. While the strongest population density is located in the central highlands, the problem of thermal comfort in buildings occurs mainly during winter time. Currently, people use raw wood to warm the poorly designed houses. This leads to a large scale deforestation of the areas and causes erosion and environmental problems. The methodology used consisted of the identification of a typical building and of a typical meteorological year. Simulations were carried out using a thermal and airflow software (CODYRUN) to improve each building component (roof, walls, windows, and soil) in such a way as to estimate the influence of some technical solutions on each component in terms of thermal comfort. The proposed solutions also took into account the use of local materials and the standard of living of the country.