Hygrothermal response capacity prediction of traditional buildings in hot-humid regions of China under future climate change

Abstract

Employing regionally adaptive building materials for passive evaporative cooling offers an effective means of reducing building energy consumption. Nevertheless, to align with rapid development needs, the hygrothermal performance and future responsiveness of many historically used materials—already well-suited to local climatic conditions and conducive to more convenient, low-cost construction—remain insufficiently understood. Moreover, direct applications and future predictive indices for retrofitting and evaluating such historical buildings in practice are lacking. To address these two challenges, integrates conventional approaches—including on-site monitoring, material property testing, and numerical simulations—to compare the hygrothermal response of a regionally historic building material, namely yellow sand cladding, against modern commonly used walls. Leveraging this platform, propose an attempt to estimate predictive indices. Research clarifies the relationships among established techniques and introduces comprehensive climate-material reference indices. Results indicate that yellow sand cladding maintains wall humidity within 60–75 % and yields lower internal water content than modern commonly used in each climatic scenario (2023, 2050 and 2080) by 5.86, 5.67, and 5.97 kg/m³, respectively. Other tested indicators are comparable modern wall structures, and the overall hygrothermal responsiveness of yellow sand cladding is even slightly superior. Mould Index ($MoI$) derived from combined climate-material reference indices demonstrates notably different values, indirectly confirming the feasibility of subsequent research efforts. This investigation of regionally adaptive materials’ hygrothermal response and predictive capabilities offers valuable insights for climate-adaptive, energy-efficient buildings and presents a more accurate and rapid methodology for the climate-integrated retrofitting and maintenance of historic structures.