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Reviewing the thermal and microclimatic function of courtyards

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  • Zamani, Zahra
  • Heidari, Shahin
  • Hanachi, Pirouz

Abstract

Currently, sustainability is one of the most important subjects in architecture and urban design. Sustainable design strategies reduce energy consumption of buildings and environmental pollution. Moreover, these strategies improve the microclimatic conditions of urban spaces. In this regard, courtyard design is an efficient sustainable strategy to improve thermal and microclimatic conditions of urban spaces. For 5000 years, courtyards have been developed to adapt to severe climatic conditions, particularly in hot and arid climates. Inaccurate courtyard thermal estimations may occur due to the complexity of optimal thermal design and insufficient tools for simulating the thermal conditions of indoor and outdoor spaces simultaneously. In the last four decades, researchers have recommended several methods to study the thermal function of courtyards. Although the variety of the modelling particularities makes it difficult to obtain appropriate results that encompass all influential factors of courtyard climatic performance, this paper provides a comprehensive review of the papers of this type of building form. The main goal is to clarify if and how the construction of courtyards can decrease energy consumption and improve the microclimate of buildings. The present study focuses on the impact of courtyard design factors (such as proportion, orientation, geometry, opening characteristics, and material) and its components (such as shading devices, vegetation, and water pool) on energy consumption, indoor and outdoor temperatures, solar radiation, and natural ventilation in different climates. Regarding the researchers’ frameworks in the reviewed papers, three main categories are identified: 1- those examining the microclimatic function of courtyards, 2- those based on the thermal function of courtyards, and 3- those that incorporate an integrative approach (considering the thermal and microclimatic functions of courtyards simultaneously). Afterward, the paper reviews the role of three main climatic factors — solar gain, humidity, and natural ventilation — in each category.

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  • Zamani, Zahra & Heidari, Shahin & Hanachi, Pirouz, 2018. "Reviewing the thermal and microclimatic function of courtyards," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 580-595.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:93:y:2018:i:c:p:580-595
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2018.05.055
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. M'Saouri El Bat, Adnane & Romani, Zaid & Bozonnet, Emmanuel & Draoui, Abdeslam & Allard, Francis, 2023. "Optimizing urban courtyard form through the coupling of outdoor zonal approach and building energy modeling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    4. Shimeng Hao & Changming Yu & Yuejia Xu & Yehao Song, 2019. "The Effects of Courtyards on the Thermal Performance of a Vernacular House in a Hot-Summer and Cold-Winter Climate," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-29, March.
    5. Allen-Dumas, Melissa R. & Rose, Amy N. & New, Joshua R. & Omitaomu, Olufemi A. & Yuan, Jiangye & Branstetter, Marcia L. & Sylvester, Linda M. & Seals, Matthew B. & Carvalhaes, Thomaz M. & Adams, Mark , 2020. "Impacts of the morphology of new neighborhoods on microclimate and building energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    6. Xie, Xiaoxiong & Sahin, Ozge & Luo, Zhiwen & Yao, Runming, 2020. "Impact of neighbourhood-scale climate characteristics on building heating demand and night ventilation cooling potential," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 943-956.
    7. Hao Sun & Carlos Jimenez-Bescos & Murtaza Mohammadi & Fangliang Zhong & John Kaiser Calautit, 2021. "Numerical Investigation of the Influence of Vegetation on the Aero-Thermal Performance of Buildings with Courtyards in Hot Climates," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-25, August.
    8. Minghui Sun & Yibing Xue & Lei Wang, 2024. "Research on Optimized Design of Rural Housing in Cold Regions Based on Parametrization and Machine Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-19, January.
    9. Junying Li & Jiying Liu & Jelena Srebric & Yuanman Hu & Miao Liu & Lei Su & Shunchang Wang, 2019. "The Effect of Tree-Planting Patterns on the Microclimate within a Courtyard," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-21, March.
    10. Tao Zhang & Qinian Hu & Qi Ding & Dian Zhou & Weijun Gao & Hiroatsu Fukuda, 2021. "Towards a Rural Revitalization Strategy for the Courtyard Layout of Vernacular Dwellings Based on Regional Adaptability and Outdoor Thermal Performance in the Gully Regions of the Loess Plateau, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-31, November.
    11. Amber Wismayer & Carolyn Susan Hayles & Nick McCullen, 2019. "The Role of Education in the Sustainable Regeneration of Built Heritage: A Case Study of Malta," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-22, May.
    12. Dervishi, Sokol & Baçi, Nerina, 2023. "Early design evaluation of low-rise school building morphology on energy performance: Climatic contexts of Southeast Europe," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).

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