Post-occupancy evaluation in high-rise apartment buildings in Vietnam

Abstract

As part of the CAMaRSEC research project, long-term indoor environmental measurements with accompanying occupant surveys were conducted over one year in 49 households in 15 high-rise residential apartment buildings in Hanoi, Vietnam. A comprehensive analysis of the collected data revealed differences in the indoor environment and energy consumption patterns during the operational phase of the buildings, as well as their correlation with diverse occupant behaviors. In addition, by comparing subjective thermal evaluations based on occupant surveys with predictions based on comfort models, the limitations of existing models in predicting the thermal sensations of local people were identified. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the apartment building design standard in Vietnam underestimates the thermal adaptation of occupants, which may lead to significant building performance gaps. Larger scale surveys and measurements are required to provide sufficient databases to refine local building design standards, especially for mixed-mode buildings.