ABSTRACT
Buildings are responsible for at least 40% of energy used in most countries, in Nigeria construction activities has pervaded most urban centres as in the case of Abuja. Evaluating passive design principles in buildings is the clever way in designing energy efficient building that will be peculiar to the local climate of a region. Most shopping malls in Nigeria use mechanical system of cooling and lighting which increases its operational cost, because proper passive design principles have not been integrated into the building. This study identifies and evaluates different passive design principles that will reduce building operational cost. Literature on passive principles were studied in which the passive design features in buildings were identified and examined in various ways that can help in reducing building operational energy demands. The research methodology adopted was a case study approach, experimentation, visual survey of various passive design features applied on the case study buildings. Qualitative data collections were adopted through visual field survey, interview, checklist, photographs, sketches, notes, as instrument of data collection. Case studies of relevant shopping malls were analysed using variables such as site analysis, building form, building orientation, landscaping, external wall, thermal insulation, roofs and windows. Ceddi Plaza Abuja and Silverbird Entertainment Centre Abuja (i.e case study 1 and 2) were modelled and analysed with the aid of Autodesk Ecotect analysis software. The simulation conducted are base on the assumptions established for zones in the analysis of energy consumption for case 1 and 2 to determine the annual operational energy demand of the buildings, using weather data collected from Abuja metrological agency. Case studies 1 and 2 have the total annual operational energy consumption of 192.497kwh per square meter and 164.134kwh per square meter respectively. The various material properties used in the modelled building under observation were altered in terms their ?u-values?, it was observed that the proposed shopping mall design indicate a decrease in the annual operational energy demand by 36.3% and 24.3% with respect to case study 1 and 2. Therefore building simulation and investigating the performance of the building virtually in the pre-construction stage will help architects and other consultants to apply suitable passive design principles that will suit a particular local climate and reduces the building annual operational energy demand.