Ground roof as a sustainable element that improves the habitat of a space in the desert area of the northwestern border of Mexico

Abstract

A ground roof is a sustainable element in which using a certain thickness of ground can reach the desired thermal and climatic comfort. On the northwestern border of Mexico, with an emphasis on desert areas, there is a need to compose solutions that measure the heat gain problems caused by climatic conditions. The heat gain is caused mainly by solar rays that occur in summer; the ground roof creates an insulating layer which helps to reduce the flow of heat, which in turn with the volume of ground helps maintain and lower stable temperatures. To evaluate the thermal performance of a ground roof, with the weather conditions of the metropolitan area of Mexicali, the simulation will be carried out. The ground roof are analyzed with different ground thicknesses and measurement periods are established, according to the specifications in standards ASTMC-1046-95, ASTMC1155-95. The thicknesses were simulated with the Ener-Habitat program. In the results it has been obtained that in a concrete cover the temperatures will be higher in contrast to the temperature of the environment and that of the ground roof.