Thermal performance study of traditional slate roofed mud houses in the sub-tropical submontane and low hills of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

The indoor environment of an area affects its overall functionality and sustainability. Vernacular architecture is noted for its use of sustainable solar passive strategies that result in improved thermal performance. The current study looks at the thermal performance of slate-roofed mud huts, which are common in Himachal Pradesh. The field study, which is based on the adaptive approach, entails both qualitative and quantitative components of thermal comfort via a questionnaire-based thermal comfort survey and onsite measurements of environmental attributes of 130 vernacular dwellings in the sub-tropical submontane and low hills of the north Indian state Himachal Pradesh. A thermal comfort survey about physical and psychological parameters of thermal comfort was done for July, and October of the year 2022 symbolizing the summer and autumn seasons in the region. The parameters were also correlated to the thermal sensation votes of the residents of vernacular houses in the area on the ASHRAE thermal sensation scale. The findings revealed that these traditional dwellings work admirably in the study area's comparably hotter summer season and that the majority of the inhabitants are content in a wider range of temperatures.