Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol. 12(2), pp. 1269 - 1281
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120242
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Assessing the Impact of Curtain Walls on the Thermal Performance of High-Rise Offices in Abuja

Christopher Ileawna Abdul ^1,2,*, Roshida Binti Abdul Majid ¹, Adejoh Andrew Ekule ², Usman Abdulazeez Adeiza ², Isah Obenege Suleiman ^2
1 Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia
² Department of Architectural Technology, Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The building's facades, which mediate between the internal part of the building and the external environment, play a significant role in the comfort conditions of interior spaces. Studies exist on the thermal performance of offices, but those on high-rise offices are limited. Abuja, Nigeria, uses low-performance glazing and does not have substantial electricity for the cooling needs of the offices. The study aims to assess the thermal performance of curtain walls on an existing office building in Abuja, Nigeria. Hobo data loggers were installed on a typical office space on the fifth floor as a representation of the office spaces, and measurements of temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity were carried out in March 2023, representing the hottest period of the year to determine the performance during the most critical season in the study location. For this article, records on 3/1/2023 to 10/3/2023 from 8 AM to 5 PM were used. The current envelope and office parameters were inputted for simulation. The simulation showed the thermal distribution of data and associativity, which establishes a significant correlation between the field measurements. It was found that the indoor temperature of the offices was above international indoor standards for indoor working spaces from both field and simulation results. The study concluded that the curtain wall contributes to high-rise office thermal discomfort in Abuja and, therefore, requires optimisation. From the study, the simulation results validate the field measurement, which differs from most research using only simulation to reach conclusions. The assessment was not given to all office spaces, implying that the typical space used might vary in some parameters. It is recommended that the application of curtain walls as building envelopes should be carried out according to Abuja's climatic and environmental conditions rather than aesthetic considerations.

KEYWORDS
Building Envelopes, Air Temperature, Illuminance, Productivity, Climatic Conditions

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Christopher Ileawna Abdul , Roshida Binti Abdul Majid , Adejoh Andrew Ekule , Usman Abdulazeez Adeiza , Isah Obenege Suleiman , "Assessing the Impact of Curtain Walls on the Thermal Performance of High-Rise Offices in Abuja," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 1269 - 1281, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120242.

(b). APA Format:
Christopher Ileawna Abdul , Roshida Binti Abdul Majid , Adejoh Andrew Ekule , Usman Abdulazeez Adeiza , Isah Obenege Suleiman (2024). Assessing the Impact of Curtain Walls on the Thermal Performance of High-Rise Offices in Abuja. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 12(2), 1269 - 1281. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2024.120242.