The Correlation Between Building Archetypes, Thermal Comfort and Energy Use in Residential Buildings in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Shophouses were originally planned and built to provide scope for the use of natural daylight and ventilation. Since the 1980s, pressures on urban spaces due to the fast growth of urbanisation and population in Ho Chi Minh City have reduced natural light and ventilation options. This, combined with urban heat island (UHI) effects, now causes significant difficulties for environments inside shophouses. Energy availability/cost means conditions in shophouses can reach or exceed the upper limits of acceptability and choices must be made between energy use and comfort. This paper introduces the classification of dwelling typologies in HCMC, particularly shophouse buildings along with their key characteristics. The study investigated thermal environments, comfort perception, and energy use in them during the summer of 2017. Summaries of the extensive data present the neutral temperature of 28.5 ℃ and the upper comfort limit of 31.5 ℃ over warm months. A household consumed a total average monthly energy of between 349 kWh and 505 kWh. Air movement is likely an important factor in finding and extending thermal acceptability in the tropics; however, it was mostly weak indoors. Discomfort as warm summer temperatures caused higher energy consumption for cooling spaces to restore comfort. In the three types of shophouses found, the physical condition in traditional dwellings was the most vulnerable, so the most electrical use was reported. Understanding the contextual, building, and environmental features of different residential types means suggesting proper design guidelines for optimising comfort and reducing energy use.