Integration of phase change material and thermal insulation material as a passive strategy for building cooling in the tropics

•Microencapsulated PCM and glass bubble as complementary passive cooling strategies.•Microencapsulated PCM and glass bubble coating system on mortar panels is developed.•Maximum surface reduction of 3.2 °C in a laboratory-based study.•Maximum ambient reduction of 7.0 °C in an outdoor-based study. As climate change intensifies in recent years, many are paying much attention to efficient energy-saving solutions to reduce the cooling load in buildings. In this work, a passive cooling strategy involving the incorporation of microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) and glass bubble (GB) into the paint and coating on mortar panels was investigated in the tropics. Results indicated that the integrated MEPCM-GB mortar panel consisting of 30% PCM and 20 % GB was found to have a maximum surface temperature and ambient temperature reduction of 3.2 °C and 7.0 °C in a laboratory-based and outdoor-based parametric study respectively.