**1. Introduction**

During the past several decades, the increasing energy consumption in the building industry has reached approximately 40% of the global energy consumption [1]. This figure is expected to further increase due to demands for improved quality of life and population growth, which will require larger areas for urbanization [2]. This growth model in the building industry has contributed to the depletion of energy resources and the exacerbation of global warming [3]. However, over the last decade, the industry has undergone a paradigm shift, with growing environmental awareness and recognition of the issues related to energy efficiency and environmental impacts [4]. Therefore, buildings play a key role as their passive design, which adapts to local climatic conditions and minimizes the use of mechanical systems for climate control, is crucial in reducing the energy demands of buildings without compromising the comfort of their indoor environments [5,6].

Vernacular buildings are constructed using local materials and designed with passive strategies, allowing them to adapt to the local climate. Due to the economic limitations of their owners and the thermal adaptability of their spaces, residents rely on the building's passive capacity for thermal comfort [7]. There are various typologies of vernacular buildings according to the climate and region of implementation, which serve as useful examples for the achievement of sustainability through architectural design and reducing the reliance

**Citation:** Moscoso-García, P.; Quesada-Molina, F. Analysis of Passive Strategies in Traditional Vernacular Architecture. *Buildings* **2023**, *13*, 1984. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/buildings13081984

Academic Editor: Ricardo M. S. F. Almeida

Received: 5 June 2023 Revised: 25 July 2023 Accepted: 31 July 2023 Published: 3 August 2023

**Copyright:** © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

on artificial climate control and its subsequent energy [5,8–10]. Currently, some scholars and researchers are investigating how vernacular techniques and materials can play a decisive role in creating more sustainable and energy-efficient buildings [11,12]. Therefore, knowledge of vernacular construction could be relevant not only for the conservation and restoration of existing heritage buildings but also for the construction of new sustainable and resilient buildings in the future [9].

Despite the growing interest in energy simulations and quantitative results, few studies have focused on this area. One such study focused on vernacular housing in the village of Xinye, China, conducted by Gou et al. [8]. The study demonstrated that annual thermal comfort simulations could be obtained with the support of the EnergyPlus simulation engine, using on-site monitoring and data collection over short periods of time. Additionally, the study identified passive strategies implemented in the building that improved the thermal comfort during hot summers, although they were less effective during cold winters. Similarly, the study by Cardinale et al. [11], focused on the energy and indoor comfort of vernacular architecture in Sassi and Trulli (Southern Italy), experimentally analyzed a dwelling in each site through the interior and exterior monitoring of environmental parameters, the in situ measurement of material properties, and simulation using EnergyPlus. This analytical methodology demonstrated that the experimental phases and subsequent simulation are crucial for buildings characterized by uncertainty and complexity. Numerical simulations of the annual thermal performance of the dwellings were obtained, indicating that the buildings did not require air conditioning during summer and that simple heating systems could ensure comfort levels during winter.

Another study aimed to analyze the site-specific strategies, thermal performance, and comfort conditions of a vernacular building in Southern Portugal. This was achieved through both objective and subjective indoor measurements taken for one day per season and long-term outdoor measurements. This study demonstrated the effective thermal performance achieved solely through passive strategies during periods of heat waves [4].

This research focuses on an existing vernacular dwelling in the city of Azogues, Ecuador. It involves environmental monitoring, in situ measurements, and dynamic simulations to collect data on the house's indoor thermal performance. Using the EnergyPlus engine, simulation results are obtained and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the passive design strategies inherent in this type of building, which can be applied to new buildings in order to achieve sustainability [13,14].
