Use of Passive Cooling Strategies in Selected Mega-Churches within Lagos-Ogun Megacity, Nigeria

Ezema, I. C. and AJANAKU, PRAISE AJIBOLA and Fulani, O. and Johnson, Oluwapelumi and Eyo, Medaraobong Uko (2023) Use of Passive Cooling Strategies in Selected Mega-Churches within Lagos-Ogun Megacity, Nigeria. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 11 (6). pp. 3789-3810.

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Abstract

Typically, church buildings are large spaces characterized by infrequent usage at given intervals. Quite often, modern churches rely on air conditioning for the indoor comfort of occupants, which presents challenges for environmental sustainability. However, church buildings, especially in tropical regions, have also adopted passive cooling strategies both as an alternative to air conditioning and as a complement to it, where it helps to reduce air conditioning load and promote environmental sustainability. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of the passive cooling strategies for achieving environmental sustainability in selected mega-churches in Lagos-Ogun megacity, Nigeria. Qualitative research method was used in this study and primary data was obtained using an observation guide in order to document the passive cooling strategies used in the selected four churches. The results were analyzed using descriptive analysis and presented in texts, plates and tables. From the result, the study found that some of the passive cooling strategies found in literature were employed in the four selected mega-churches although they were not adequate to meet the cooling needs of the large congregation. This resulted in the selected mega-churches relying fully on air-conditioning. The results also showed that passive cooling strategies can be very relevant even in large spaces where they mitigate the air conditioning load. It also indicates that passive strategies can be relied upon when the buildings are used outside the conventional periods, especially for smaller groups of church members. Based on the findings, the study recommends that proper attention should be paid to integrating passive cooling strategies at the initial stage of the design. Additionally, thermal simulations can be carried out to examine the effectiveness of the passive cooling strategies utilized.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Church Buildings, Environmental Sustainability, Passive Cooling, Tropical Climate
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > NA Architecture
Divisions:	Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics > School of Civil Engineering and the Environment Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > School of Art
Depositing User:	nwokealisi
Date Deposited:	07 Nov 2023 11:28
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2023 11:28
URI:	http://eprints.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/id/eprint/17516

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