The thermal performance of a prefabricated modular hotel room: A case study of Hotel Jakarta, Amsterdam

The use of prefabricated modular unit “pods” for guest rooms in hotels are a relatively new technology in the hotel industry and offers immense potential in terms of quality control and precision, construction time, replicability, economies of scale and safety. However, literature reporting on the performance of these pods is very limited. In this work, the authors investigated the performance of a prefabricated guest room pod by conducting a series of thermal comfort studies. The pod was initially assessed for its as-built thermal comfort performance and later compared to a model with varying parameters such as shading and ventilation. The individual pod performance was considered within its surroundings, i.e., including other pods and the building envelope. Programs used were Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environments, Passive Design Assistant and Sefaira and particular attention was taken to the risk of summer overheating. The simulation results showed that cross-ventilated pods with an enclosed balcony were more efficient than the basic pod configurations currently manufactured. The investigation also demonstrated that the current pod design installed at the hotel performed fairly well in both summer and winter with the aid of natural ventilation from the enclosed balcony. It was also observed that these balcony spaces were an added advantage as it served various purposes like sunspaces, wind barriers, private outdoor seating and as smoke zones. Beyond the design parameters, the authors conclude the work with an additional study on the integration of renewable energy to the pods’ facade.