Comparison of passive design strategies to improve living conditions: a study in Ondjiva, Southern Angola

Passive design strategies aim at creating comfortable buildings while reducing their energy consumption. Simple strategies such as the correct orientation of the building, the correct design of the building's openings, or the correct sizing of the building's constituent parts (such as walls, ceilings, etc.) according to their material specificities (regarding the region's climate) would greatly improve the performance of a building. This paper intends to show how the application of simple passive techniques in housing design can reduce the energy loads spent annually and improve the house's interior comfort. It translates the results of interior comfort computer simulations into suggestions for the application of passive strategies in housing design, to improve the living conditions in Southern Angola