Experimental Study of the Thermal Behavior of a Bioclimatic Building Prototype in a Sahelian Zone

Abstract

Buildings constructed with modern materials (cement blocks, sheet metal, reinforced concrete, etc.) in the Sahelian zone often generate excessive electricity consumption and consequently very high electricity bills. This study is a contribution to the development of new building types based on the principle of bioclimatic construction. The aim is to find materials suited to the Sahelian climate and improve thermal comfort. To this end, an experimental study of the hygrothermal behavior of a bioclimatic building prototype with a domed roof is being carried out. Site meteorological data, air temperature and relative humidity of the building’s internal environment were measured for three climatic seasons in Burkina Faso. The data acquisition system consists of thermocouples, solarimeters and humidity meters, and the data are processed using Excel and Origin Pro software. The results show that, despite the high temperature values (between 36˚C and 39˚C) of the internal environment measured in the hot season, good thermal performance is achieved, in particular an average phase shift of 7.17 h and an average damping of 10.81˚C. The dome-roofed building could therefore contribute to limiting heat transmission to the building interior, improving thermal comfort all year round. Analysis of humidity profiles shows that indoor humidity varies between 66% and 80% for the September period, and between 44% and 69% for the January period. The high values of internal ambient humidity could be reduced by very good ventilation of the building. This study shows that the proposed bioclimatic building prototype with domed roof could be integrated into the Sahelian habitat.