Courtyards thermal efficiency during hot regions’ typical ‎winter

Abstract

Many researchers have experimentally proven the thermal efficiency of courtyard buildings in hot regions during summer. However, a limited number of studies have tackled courtyards’ winter performance. In these studies, it has been stated that courtyards are possibly not efficient for winter conditions. This study aims to address this point. It investigated the impact of changing courtyards geometrical properties on occupants’ thermal perception during typical winter conditions of a hot region. The study conducted a simulation experiment using Envi-met 4.2 simulation tool. Baghdad was used as a case study. Thermal comfort limits for hot regions were used as a reference. IBM SPSS statistics 23 was used to analyse variables’ correlations. The results show that all courtyard forms are thermally comfortable during typical winter conditions of a hot region. Courtyards’ geometry has a significant impact on their thermal conditions. The most effective property is the ratio of courtyard width to height.