Pathways for optimal provision of thermal comfort and sustainability of residential housing in hot and humid tropics of Australia – A critical review

This critical review discusses existing design practices for housing and subdivisions in the hot and humid tropics with particular reference to the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory. The review discusses several research issues and gaps that have been identified and assesses how air speed, air temperature and humidity play a key role in housing and subdivision design consideration in the hot and humid tropics. The review aims to shed light on the inadequacy of the current residential energy rating methodology and proposes a new direction for future research to ameliorate these issues for the tropics.