Study on Thermal Surface Performance on Post-Modern Apartment Façades in Penang, Malaysia

This study analyses the thermal performance of the west façade surface of two selected high-rise apartments in Penang, Malaysia. Penang Island is located at the northern edge of Malaysia, and the city has witnessed rapid development during the last few decades. Due to the housing shortage, the government has built high-rise apartments to provide housing for the city's population. The oldest high-rise apartment in Penang was the 18-storey Rifle Range Flat, built in 1965 in Ayer Itam. There are two apartment blocks selected in the present case study. The first case study is Halaman Kristal 1 located in Lengkok Free School, Jelutong. The second is Mutiara Idaman 2 Apartment located in Solok Tengku, Jelutong. A Fluke Ti20 thermal imager was used to capture the façade thermal images of the apartments' west façade taken every hour from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm on 15th March 2017. The research finds that Halaman Kristal 1 Apartment has better shading performance than Mutiara Idaman 2 Apartment during all evening hours. Shading devices and balconies in Halaman Kristal 1 provide shades on the façade which reduce the surface temperature. The shades provide good thermal performance to the apartment blocks' façades.