Addressing Framework Gaps in Climate-Responsive Passive Design: Toward a Replicable Model for Educational Buildings in the Tropical Climate of Owerri, Nigeria

Climate-responsive passive design is critical for long-term educational infrastructure in tropical nations, but there is still a significant gap between established concepts and their actual application in local contexts. This study investigates the inadequacies of existing sustainability frameworks when applied to school buildings in Owerri, Nigeria, a hot and humid climate. This study uses a novel methodological approach to identify critical gaps in globally recognised systems such as LEED and EDGE, as well as Nigerian building codes, in terms of specificity, climatic nuance, and implementability. The approach combines comparative framework analysis, contextual interpolation of secondary climatic and architectural data, and interpolated simulation results from peer-reviewed EnergyPlus-based studies. The study's primary contribution is its ability to synthesise these facts and present a novel, reproducible technique that blends progressive design stages with actionable, context-specific passive tactics. According to the findings, the proposed approach can bridge the theory-practice divide by providing architects and policymakers with a structured yet customisable path, potentially reducing cooling energy consumption by 20-40% based on synthesised simulations. This is significant because it provides a scalable blueprint for reducing energy consumption and enhancing thermal comfort in educational settings across West Africa, helping to achieve SDGs 4 (Quality Education) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). The paper concludes that a context-interpolated framework is not only beneficial, but also necessary, for achieving real sustainability in tropical educational architecture.