Climate-Responsive Building Typologies and Natural Ventilation Performance in Postgraduate School Buildings of Selected Public Universities in Southwest Nigeria

Natural ventilation remains a fundamental passive design strategy for improving indoor environmental quality and reducing building energy consumption in tropical regions. However, the performance of natural ventilation in postgraduate school buildings within Nigerian universities has received limited empirical attention despite the growing demand for climate-responsive institutional buildings. This study evaluated the influence of climatic conditions and building typologies on the natural ventilation performance of postgraduate school buildings in selected public universities in Southwest Nigeria. A mixed-methods research design was adopted, involving climatic data analysis, field surveys, architectural observations, and building performance assessment. Climatic data obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) were analysed using the Mahoney Tables, while building typologies and ventilation characteristics were documented through field investigations. Indoor airflow performance was evaluated using the Givoni airflow model. The findings revealed that the study area experiences mean annual temperatures of 25–30°C, high relative humidity, seasonal rainfall, and favourable prevailing winds that support passive ventilation strategies. Eight major building typologies were identified, with Faculty Office Buildings (31.1%), Administrative Blocks (23.8%), and Postgraduate School Buildings (17.2%) being the most dominant. Buildings incorporating larger window openings, favourable orientation, and cross-ventilation pathways demonstrated superior ventilation performance compared with deeper-plan buildings having restricted airflow. The study concludes that building typology and architectural configuration significantly influence natural ventilation performance under similar climatic conditions. It recommends the integration of climate-responsive planning principles, optimized building orientation, and effective window design into the development and upgrading of postgraduate school buildings to improve thermal comfort and reduce dependence on mechanical cooling systems.