Journal of Scientific Research and Studies Vol. 3(x), pp. xxx-xxx, April, 2016 ISSN 2375-8791 Copyright © 2016 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article http://www.modernrespub.org/jsrs/index.htm Full Length Research Paper Harnessing passive design for comfortable indoor environments: Comparative study of traditional and modern architecture in the Northern region of Ghana Abdul-Manan Dauda Department of Building Technology, Tamale Polytechnic, Tamale, Ghana. E-mail: ddabdul-manan@tamalepoly.edu.gh Accepted 04 April, 2016 Scientific investigations into the traditional architecture of the northern region of Ghana, known for its use of natural and passive methods for a comfortable indoor environment, reveal interesting results. Extensive qualitative analysis of the passive methods adopted in traditional buildings and detailed quantitative investigation was carried out during the hot season to evaluate thermal comfort. In order to understand the performance of traditional buildings in comparison with modern buildings, a field study was conducted simultaneously in a selected traditional and a modern residential building during the hot season when thermal comfort conditions are at their worst. The study was conducted by continuously monitoring the indoor and outdoor conditions of both buildings using a HOBO data logger. The results reveal that an efficient passive and natural control system exists in the traditional architecture in providing a comfortable indoor environment irrespective of the outdoor climatic conditions. Key words: Traditional architecture, modern building, indoor environment, passive design, Northern region, Ghana. INTRODUCTION The main purpose of a building is to provide an environment that is comfortable, and disturbs neither the health nor performance of its occupants (de Dear, 2004). Good indoor environments are critical to the success of any building, not only because it ensures the occupants are comfortable, but also because it determines its energy consumption and therefore influences its sustainability in terms of energy (Nicol and Humphreys, 2002). The role of passive design in reducing the need for high-energy solutions has become important in the current energy-economic crises (Wong et al., 2002). Natural and passive cooling method for buildings, can improve indoor environment quality, provide thermal comfort, and reduce energy consumption in buildings. As a result, the study of natural and passive methods for controlling the indoor environment has gained prominence recently (Jiang and Chen, 2002). Energy savings through passive and traditional techniques in houses for the purpose of maintaining thermal comfort in comparison with modern techniques has been established in many studies (Yeo et al., 2003; Kang et al., 2010; Santamouris et al., 2007; Wong and Li, 2007). Furthermore, there is a growing trend towards efficient architectural designs aimed at providing healthy low-energy design solutions (Isaksson and Karlsson, 2006). The indoor environment in naturally ventilated buildings mostly depends on the local climate and the how environmental controls are utilized (Indraganti, 2010). Building characteristics influence the impact of outdoor climate and play a major role in controlling the indoor thermal conditions (Raja et al., 2001). Studies into passive environmental control methods for achieving thermal comfort in buildings and studies for identifying methods and techniques from the traditional building processes are underway in many countries (Lee et al., 1996; Wang and Liu, 2002; Ooka, 2002; Borong et al., 2004; Kim, 2005; Zhai and Previtali, 2010). Research into dimensions of thermal comfort and energy efficiency of buildings are also underway throughout the world (Arens et al., 2010). The supply of energy has failed to meet the MRP