Passive Cooling and Thermal Comfort Optimization in University Student Centres in South-South Tropical Climates

Abstract

University student centres serve as important academic, social, and recreational spaces that support student well-being and campus life. However, maintaining thermal comfort within these facilities remains a significant challenge in South-South Nigeria due to high temperatures, elevated humidity levels, and intense solar radiation. This study investigates thermal optimization strategies for the design of sustainable student centres in the south-south tropical climates. Many existing university student buildings rely heavily on mechanical cooling systems, leading to high energy consumption and increased operational and maintenance costs. Using a qualitative research design comprising a review of literature and a comparative case study analysis, To strengthen the climatic relevance of the comparative evidence, the case study base combines two temperate-climate examples (Trent University Student Centre, Canada, and Cleveland State University Student Center, USA) with two hot-humid and equatorial tropical examples that are more directly analogous to Port Harcourt: the SDE4 building at the National University of Singapore and the Kéré Architecture-designed Startup Lions Campus in Turkana, Kenya. the research evaluates architectural strategies such as natural ventilation, shading systems, building orientation, and material selection to improve indoor environments. Findings from the reviewed literature and case studies indicate that building orientation, natural ventilation, atrium-based airflow systems, solar shading devices, and high-performance building envelopes contribute significantly to improved thermal comfort and reduced dependence on mechanical cooling systems. The paper integrated insights from sustainable design practices, highlighting the balance between architectural aesthetics, economic efficiency, and environmental responsibility. Ultimately, this work proposed a climate-responsive passive cooling framework for university student centres in South-South Nigeria. As the study is qualitative and comparative rather than measurement- or simulation-based, its outcomes are presented as anticipated performance, and the paper concludes with an explicit call for future mixed-methods research using building performance simulation and field measurement to quantitatively validate the proposed framework.