ABSTRACT

Belum Rainforest resort as part of Malaysia which categorize as a tropical country. Hot and

Humid conditions could greatly influence the temperature on the site. The aim of this study

was to study the effects of thermal comfort in Belum Rainforest Resort through natural

building material used and also the way of the natural building materials affect the

temperature and humidity. The materials used in Belum rainforest resort were identified,

and a series of research was conducted to understand and learn the capability to influence

the thermal comfort in each type of material used in order to achieve the thermal comfort of

the building. The study of building materials that use in the site is one part of the important

part or feature of the Belum Rainforest Resort. It’s important to learn about the function of

the material to achieve thermal comfort. There are some material that mostly used in

Belum Rainforest resort such as Timber, Concrete, and Rammed Earth. Timber is a material

that known as a low thermal conductivity material which allows the resistance of heat into

the building. While concrete is known as a material that act as thermal mass because

concrete can slow down the penetration of heat into the wall. Concrete also can be used to

absorb night time ventilation to eliminate the need for daytime cooling. Then, Rammed

earth has an excellent thermal mass if compare to concrete, rammed earth can absorbs and

slows down the passage of heat and release the heat when the temperature goes down and

rammed earth also can delay heat flow through building envelope. Overall of this study, tell

how natural building materials play an important role in achieving thermal comfort in Belum

Rainforest resort.