Retrofitting high-density residential buildings: Application of passive cooling design strategies in hot and humid climate of Cyprus

Experimental methods often failed to isolate the effect of retrofits from the numerous confounding factors, while modelling studies are prone to uncertainties and simplifications. The aim of this study is to provide a critical insight of previous studies that have applied experimental and simulation techniques to evaluate thermal retrofits, with a focus on data collection and simulation methods. The main question is how passive design strategies can contribute to the retrofitting of existing residential buildings and optimise the indoor comfort level of occupied spaces to combat exacerbated heatwaves in the summer. This paper discusses the findings of three different alternative passive design systems as a solution to reduce overheating, particularly in the summer season. In these passive design strategies, it shows the use of natural ventilation systems, appropriate shading devices, and fenestration designs to improve both energy performance of a prototype RTB and occupants’ thermal comfort under the climate change impact. In this study, it can be seen that temperatures were significantly higher throughout the period with several periods in which the temperature was above 28 °C, and never below 22°C. In this prototype RTB, temperatures were significantly higher throughout the period with several periods in which the temperature was above 30°C, and never below 22°C.