Sensitivity analysis of the hygro-thermal simulation model of a historical building's facade in a hot-humid climate

Abstract

This contribution presents a case study regarding the hygro-thermal performance of the exterior brick wall of a historical (temple) building in a hot-humid climate (Thailand), which displays post-retrofit moisture problems. A computational application was used to generate and analyze a hygro-thermal simulation model of the wall. Subsequently, the model was subjected to a systematic sensitivity analysis to identify a subset of the input variables (i.e., material properties), which significantly influence the simulation results (i.e., temperature, humidity, and moisture content). The insights thus obtained can be deployed in the simulation-based identification of hygro-thermally suitable retrofit options.