Thermal Evaluation of Local Construction Materials under a Hot Semi-arid Climate of Marrakech

The purpose of this research is to assess the thermal performance of a classroom in hot semi-arid climate of Marrakech (Morocco). The studied case building combines the effect of high thermal mass of rammed earth walls and roof insulation with reed panels. In order to evaluate the thermal behavior of this classroom, a study was carried out using a dynamic thermal simulation in TRNsys18 software over a typical year. Then compared with a case lacking the considered materials and built with regular classic ones. The simulation model was validated by the monitoring results. It was found that the considered techniques have a remarkable effect on the annual thermal loads as well as the indoor air temperature especially in summer season. The total thermal loads were reduced by 44% compared to standard case. On the other hand, the daily average indoor air temperature is reduced by up to 5°C during the hottest day of the month (July). In contrast, during winter season a slight difference was found between the two cases, as the average monthly indoor air temperature was 16.8°C for standard case while 17.3°C for the other case.