Authors : Mtaver Gwaza; Tar A Terna

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 7 - July

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/yc8z55hd

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jul651

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Public buildings in hot tropical climates are typically characterized by high daytime occupancy and sustained dependence on artificial lighting and mechanical cooling, resulting in significant operational energy demand. In cities such as Makurdi, where solar availability is high but thermal control is critical, daylighting presents both an opportunity for electrical load reduction and a risk of increased cooling energy if poorly integrated. This paper investigates daylighting as a passive design strategy for energy maximization in public buildings within Makurdi’s hot tropical climate. The study evaluates the performance of key daylighting design variables, including building orientation, plan depth, window-to-wall ratio, shading configuration, and sectional articulation, in relation to both lighting energy demand and cooling load. Climatebased daylight metrics are employed alongside energy performance simulations to assess daylight autonomy, glare potential, and thermal implications under local climatic conditions. Rather than maximizing daylight levels indiscriminately, the analysis focuses on identifying spatial configurations that achieve useful daylight while limiting solar heat gain. Findings demonstrate that controlled daylighting strategies, particularly those combining shallow plan depths with external shading and optimized aperture placement, can significantly reduce reliance on artificial lighting without incurring proportional increases in cooling demand. The paper argues that daylighting effectiveness in hot tropical public buildings is contingent on its integration within a broader passive design framework rather than its treatment as an isolated environmental feature. The study contributes climate-specific evidence to sustainable public building design discourse and offers design-relevant insights for energy-conscious daylighting in hot tropical urban environments.

Keywords : Daylighting Design; Energy Maximization; Public Buildings; Hot Tropical Climate; Passive Design Strategies; Cooling Load Reduction; Climate-Based Daylight Metrics; Makurdi.

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