Thermal Comfort Analysis of Students in Brick-Walled and Wooden-Walled Classrooms of Islamic Boarding Schools in the Tropics

In tropical areas, brick and wood are commonly utilised for wall construction. However, building occupants may experience temperature discomfort if inappropriate materials are used. To identify the ideal most comfortable temperature range and to increase energy efficiency, a field study was conducted in Majene City, Indonesia (tropical climate). Wooden-walled and brick-walled classrooms were used to measure environmental parameters, and questionnaires were distributed to assess students' thermal comfort. The neutral temperature of actual voting, obtained using Griffith's method and regression analysis, was compared with the result from the PMV/PPD and adaptive methods. The results showed that whereas classrooms with wooden walls had higher air temperatures, from 27.64 °C to 33.19 °C from morning to midday, classrooms with brick walls had air temperatures approximately between 27.52 °C and 30.67 °C from morning to midday. In addition, student responses indicate that brick-walled classrooms are more comfortable and have better thermal performance than wooden-walled classrooms. Griffith's method and regression analysis showed that the neutral temperatures of brick-walled classrooms (28.50 °C and 29.57 °C, respectively) were lower than those of wooden-walled classrooms (28.93 °C and 29.99 °C, respectively).