Thermal Sensation in Courtyards: Potentialities as a Passive Strategy in Tropical Climates

Ivan Julio Apolonio Callejas, Luciane Cleonice Durante, Eduardo Diz-Mellado and Carmen Galán-Marín
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Ivan Julio Apolonio Callejas: Department of Architecture and Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture, Engineering and Technology, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Av. Fernando Corrêa da Costa, 2367, Bairro Boa Esperança, 78060-900 Cuiabá, Estado de Mato Grosso, Brazil
Luciane Cleonice Durante: Department of Architecture and Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture, Engineering and Technology, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Av. Fernando Corrêa da Costa, 2367, Bairro Boa Esperança, 78060-900 Cuiabá, Estado de Mato Grosso, Brazil
Eduardo Diz-Mellado: Department of Architectural Constructions, Higher Technical School of Architecture, tamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas 1, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, Avda. Reina Mercedes, 2, 41012 Seville, Spain
Carmen Galán-Marín: Department of Architectural Constructions, Higher Technical School of Architecture, tamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas 1, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, Avda. Reina Mercedes, 2, 41012 Seville, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: Climate change will bring changes to our living conditions, particularly in urban areas. Climate-responsive design strategies through courtyards can help to moderate temperatures and reduce the thermal stress of its occupants. Thermal response inside courtyard is affected not only by its morphological composition but also by subjective factors. Thus, standardized thermal scales may not reflect the stress of the occupants. This study investigated the impact on thermal attenuation provided by a courtyard located in a tropical climate under extreme cold and hot synoptic conditions by means of local thermal sensation scales. Microclimatic variables were monitored, simultaneously with the application of a thermal comfort questionnaire, by using weather stations installed outside and inside the courtyard. The Modified Physiological Equivalent Temperature Index (mPET) was utilized to predict the heat stress. Calibration was conducted using linear regression to attribute particular thermal sensation votes to correspondent mPET values. It was found that thermal sensation can be affected by factors such as psychological, behavioral, and physiological. The courtyard’s form provides a passive cooling effect, stabilizing interior thermal sensation, with attenuation peaks of 6.4 °C on a cold day and 5.0 °C on a hot day. Courtyards are an alternative passive strategy to improve thermal ambience in tropical climate, counterbalancing climate change.

Keywords: climate-responsive design; courtyard; tempering potential; thermal comfort; tropical architecture; insolation; aspect ratio (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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