Evaluating The Influence of Building Typologies and Attributes on Outdoor Thermal Comfort in Urban Environments

The variation in urban microclimate is closely related to the building's physical attributes, including building height, material composition, building condition, building size, building morphology, and building type. Changes in microclimate due to the continuous expansion of urban buildings have a significant impact on the health and comfort level of urban residents. Thus, it is necessary to understand the influence of built environment factors towards outdoor thermal comfort, particularly in tropical cities like Kuching, Sarawak. This study investigates the interplay between building typologies and microclimatic factors in Kuching, Sarawak, focusing on residential, commercial, office and educational buildings. Field measurements of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and heat index were conducted over more than seven consecutive days in April 2024 using handheld environmental meters. The measurement was recorded every two hours per day at sixteen (16) static points across different types of buildings. The data were collected manually with the sensor positioned at a height of approximately 1.5 m above ground level, taking into account the average breathing zone height of a standing adult. Additional data, including human activities around each study area, were also recorded to account for the influence of these factors on the microclimate. Following the confirmation of non-normality in the dataset through a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, a Kruskal-Wallis test was performed. The results reveal that wind speed and relative humidity vary significantly among building types (p < 0.05), whereas air temperature and heat index show a consistent statistical pattern. In the analysis, commercial areas showed the highest wind speeds, while residential areas recorded the highest relative humidity. Therefore, the result clearly underscored that the importance of building types, spatial design, materials, and methods influences outdoor thermal comfort.