The courtyard pattern's thermal efficiency: Limits and significance of impact

Abstract

The courtyard pattern has been advocated as a thermally efficient design for hot regions. Many studies have been yielded the suggestion of re-introducing this building pattern for its thermal efficiency. However, it has not been widely investigated to which extent courtyards actually provide thermal comfort for people. By examining the thermal behaviour of 360 courtyards, this paper investigates the impact of courtyards' geometry and orientation on its thermal conditions and occupants' thermal sensation. Baghdad was used as a case study due to its hot climate and traditional use of courtyards. A comfortable temperature for hot climate defined by a previous study was used to judge the tested courtyards. Calibrated Envi-met simulation models have been used to determine courtyards' thermal conditions. The results show that the most effective design parameter on courtyards' thermal efficiency is the courtyard's Width/Height and the most effective climatic factor is the Mean Radiant Temperature. The thermal efficiency increases by having deep and small courtyards. If properly designed, courtyards can provide 4-7 °C less Globe Temperature than the outdoor temperature, while improperly designed ones can be 20°C higher than the outdoor temperature. In all cases, courtyard spaces cannot provide thermal comfort if the outdoor Globe Temperature exceeded 38°C.