**2. Materials and Methods**

The research's methodological design was based on Gou et al. [8], who proposed an experimental investigation grounded in the case study approach. This approach involved analyzing the construction technique of the building within the context of its normal use and occupancy. Direct observations were performed of the object of study in its context, with the aim of obtaining the maximum amount of information in situ. In this study, equipment was used to record data on the wind speed, relative humidity, wind direction, and the envelope's temperature. The measurements of the outdoor environmental parameters were correlated with the indoor comfort parameters, considering the following comfort ranges: air temperature 17–22 ◦C, relative humidity 40–65%, and air velocity <0.2 m/s [20].

For the research's development, electronic measuring instruments that met the requirements of objectivity, validity, and reliability were used, such as HOBO for data collection on temperature and relative humidity, Testo 435 to obtain data on the surface temperature of the building envelope, and Anemometer Testo 435 to measure the wind speed. Templates were developed for data tabulation and figure creation for data processing.

Based on previous studies on this topic, the following four-stage methodological design was proposed for the case study.

Stage 1—Selection and Planimetric Survey of the House: The research began with the selection of a house through the review of existing documentation on the inventory of heritage properties in the city of Azogues, based on the following criteria.


Stage 2—Data Collection In Situ: Data collection was performed by installing equipment in different areas of the building, such as the HOBO U12 Temp/RH. Data loggers were utilized to measure and record the temperature and relative humidity, wind speed (Testo anemometer), surface temperature of envelope materials (Testo 635 surface thermometer), and wind direction (smoke tracers).

Stage 3—Data Processing: The data from Stage 2 were used to generate tables and figures for the analysis and comparison of the different monitored environments and their behaviors in response to local climate phenomena.

Stage 4—Evaluation of the Thermal Performance of the Building: The thermal performance was evaluated using the software SketchUp for modeling and the open-source software Open Studio with EnergyPlus for simulation. The model was validated with the monitored data collected from different points within the building to determine its annual thermal performance.

### *2.1. Description of the Studied Dwelling*

The building was constructed in 1910 and it has preserved its original form, and no alterations or modifications have been observed throughout the years. The house inherited construction techniques and design methods that were passed down from generation to generation. It is one of the most typical house designs in Azogues, consisting of a central courtyard and garden oriented towards the east, with four galleries in which the different spaces are distributed. The areas designated for the living and dining rooms are located on the upper floor of the building, in the gallery that faces the main street (Figure 5c). The monitoring of the thermal comfort data primarily focused on the various galleries present within the dwelling, as they exhibit climate-sensitive characteristics.

The gallery facing west (Figure 5a) is topped by a lookout that is accessed through a staircase located on the rear facade of the building.

The selected house (Figure 6) includes surrounding corridors to the central courtyard on both the ground and upper floors, in such a way that the interior spaces benefit from natural lighting. Resting areas such as bedrooms are arranged on the north and south sides of the building. The basic idea of the courtyard consists of forming an enclosed space protected from the outside, where it is possible to control the climate, creating a differentiated, regular, and daily cyclic microclimate that benefits the house [21], providing the bedrooms with optimal cross-ventilation. Furthermore, the strategic placement of rooms on the north and south sides of the building adds an additional benefit from the shade, effectively reducing the direct solar heat gain during hot periods.

**Figure 6.** Plan views of the chosen representative residence, displaying the positions where data monitoring took place.

#### *2.2. Experimental Setup*

The experimental setup was based on the methodology introduced by Gou et al. (2015) [8]. The thermal comfort monitoring was conducted from 2nd July 2022 to 3 July 2022, which is the month in which Azogues city experiences the lowest temperatures of the year, ranging from 6 ◦C to 10 ◦C. The monitored data encompassed the air temperature, relative humidity, wall surface temperature, and wind speed. A HOBO data logger was employed to automatically capture air temperature and relative humidity data at 10-min intervals. Wall surface temperature and wind speed data, on the other hand, were manually collected once per hour throughout the evaluation period. The technical specifications of the data collection instruments utilized are provided in Table 2. It is worth mentioning that the equipment employed was certified by the manufacturer.



#### *2.3. Measurement Areas*

Figure 6 shows the five locations within the house that were selected for the monitoring of the air temperature and relative humidity: bedroom 7, the central courtyard, the rear vestibule facing the garden, the mezzanine room, and the main living room. All measurement points were established at a height of 1.5 m above ground level. Suitable devices were employed to record exterior data throughout the measurement period. The surface temperatures of the monitored building envelope in bedroom 7 of the north gallery are not identified in Figure 6. Data collection points were positioned 1.5 m above ground level at the center of both the external and internal surfaces of the walls.

Two methods were employed to measure the wind speed. The first one involved placing a recorder in the gallery situated in the eastern part of the building, near the window of the living room. Data were manually recorded every hour to determine the wind direction using smoke tracers simultaneously. The second method comprised conducting short-term measurements at three distinct points, as illustrated in Figure 6 (central courtyard, doors A and C), to understand the natural ventilation behavior of the house.

A summary of the experimental conditions for short-term data monitoring is presented in Table 3. Wind speeds were manually measured and recorded at consistent intervals of 30 s, while smoke tracers were synchronously employed to determine the wind direction.


