Passive design strategies of vernacular houses in the hot-humid climate of Indonesia

Knowledge on sustainable passive design is urgently required as one of the solutions for tackling the climate change issues. This paper aims to explore passive design strategies in Indonesian vernacular houses, representing various climatic zones, and investigate thermal performance of those houses for deriving a new interpretation of vernacular architecture for contemporary practice. This paper comprises (1) a systematic literature review on vernacular passive techniques in the hot-humid climates over the last ten years, (2) visual observation of passive design techniques in Indonesian vernacular houses, and lastly, (3) preliminary field measurements in several case study houses, representing various climatic zones. The results of the systematic review yielded passive design techniques for floor, room, wall, window, shade, and roof, comprising 22 techniques in total. It is observed that Minangkabau house applied 18 out of 22 techniques, whereas Madura and Bugis houses exhibited 15 and 14 techniques, respectively. Field measurements indicated that the Minangkabau and Madura houses maintained comfortable temperatures even during the daytime, while Bugis house experienced otherwise; exceeding upper comfortable limit during the daytime. Passive design strategies derived from the vernacular houses can be reinterpreted for contemporary architecture, particularly through opening design, shading, wall configurations, and room arrangements. In contemporary residential design, these strategies may be reflected in the use of ventilation blocks, courtyards, and void spaces or pilotis.