The Impact of Inside Balcony Type Configuration on Cooling Energy Performance in Vertical Housing Buildings in Indonesia

Abstract

Buildings in major Indonesian cities are projected to be dominated by vertical housing such as public housing, which is anticipated to make up most building stock. Buildings contribute to around 40% of global primary energy consumption and account for one-third of CO2 emissions, both of which can significantly impact global warming. One consequence of this is the rise in ambient temperatures, which drives the increased use of active cooling solutions like air conditioning (AC) to counter thermal discomfort caused by global warming. Post-COVID-19, the shift toward more indoor activities has further fuelled the demand for cooling. One solution to reduce this demand is through passive design, utilizing economical shading elements on the building envelope. Building facades—covering the front, sides, and rear—interact directly with the external environment, and this study focuses on the configuration of recessed balconies. The study uses simulation methods with software such as Rhinoceros and Grasshopper, employing the Honeybee and Ladybug plugins to run EnergyPlus simulations. Simulation results show that recessed U-shaped balconies improve cooling energy performance as their depth increases. This improvement is attributed to the higher conductivity of deeper walls at night. The use of recessed balcony types can reduce cooling energy for units with recessed balcony placements, without altering room layouts.