Assessment of the Satisfaction of Residents in the Barrack Houses with the Natural Ventilation Design of Military Barrack in the Context of Climate of Plateau State

Chalya Nimyel Gofwen; Erekpitan Omoikhefe Ola-Adisa; Yohana Chanle Sati

doi:10.56201/ijgem.vol.12.no10.2026.pg295.303

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Assessment of the Satisfaction of Residents in the Barrack Houses with the Natural Ventilation Design of Military Barrack in the Context of Climate of Plateau State

Chalya Nimyel Gofwen, Erekpitan Omoikhefe Ola-Adisa, Yohana Chanle Sati

Abstract

Natural ventilation is the main means by which military barrack houses in Nigeria are expected to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality, yet little is known about how residents experience it. This study assessed residents’ satisfaction with the natural ventilation design of two barracks in Plateau State, Nigeria: Maxwell Khobe Cantonment Barracks , a cold highland site in Bassa, and 332 Artillery Regiment Barracks , a warm lowland site in Shendam. A convergent mixed-methods design was used. A structured questionnaire based on ASHRAE Standard 55 was administered per household (250 distributed; 245 retrieved, 98%) and complemented by field observation and spot measurements of air temperature and velocity. Descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression were applied. Satisfaction was moderate overall (mean = 3.5 out of 5) but uneven. MKCB residents rated air quality (4.0 vs. 3.0) and the airflow–comfort relationship (4.5 vs. 3.5) higher than ARB residents, who expressed a stronger wish for additional ventilation features (4.5 vs. 3.5). Occupant comfort correlated strongly with ventilation performance (r = .868, p < .001) and was the strongest predictor in the regression model (B = 1.008, p = .013). Enclosed rooms recorded air velocities of only 0.000–0.044 m/s. The study establishes that natural ventilation satisfaction is an attribute-specific outcome governed by physical features, user behavior, and microclimate. Dissatisfaction was linked to poor maintenance, stagnant air in hot periods, security-driven window closure, noise and odours. Barrack ventilation design should be climate-specific, maintainable and compatible with security requirements.

Keywords

Natural Ventilation; Occupant Satisfaction; Military Barracks; Thermal Comfort; Microclimate; Plateau State

References

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Assessment of the Satisfaction of Residents in the Barrack Houses with the Natural Ventilation Design of Military Barrack in the Context of Climate of Plateau State

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