Performance-Based Evaluation of Courtyard Design in China’s Cold-Winter Hot-Summer Climate Regions

Xiaodong Xu,Tianzhen Hong,Wei Wang,Xiuzhang Fu,Fenlan Luo

doi:10.3390/su10113950

Abstract

A courtyard is a traditional and popular construction feature found in China’s urban buildings. This case study evaluates the performance of the traditional courtyard design of the Jiangnan Museum, located in Jiangsu Province. In the evaluation, the spatial layout of courtyards is adjusted, the aspect ratio is changed, and an ecological buffer space is created. To model and evaluate the performance of the courtyard design, this study applied the Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, Parabolic Hyperbolic Or Elliptic Numerical Integration Code Series (PHOENICS), for wind environment simulation, and the EnergyPlus-based software, DesignBuilder, for energy simulation. Results show that a good combination of courtyard layout and aspect ratio can improve the use of natural ventilation by increasing free cooling during hot summers and reducing cold wind in winters. The results also show that ecological buffer areas of a courtyard can reduce cooling loads in summer by approximately 19.6% and heating loads in winter by approximately 22.3%. The study provides insights into the optimal design of a courtyard to maximize its benefit in regulating the microclimate during both winter and summer.

Highlights

In traditional Chinese architectural design, construction typologies associated with human needs—including shelter, work, and rest—were structured around an open space, usually called a courtyard
It was indicated that the southeastern wind with a southward deflection degree of 19◦ is the dominating wind in summer, and the northwestern wind with a northward deflection degree of 15◦ is the dominating wind in winter in the region to the south of the Yangtze River
Under the same conditions of the parameter calculation, PHOENICS was used to simulate the outdoor state of the wind environment

Summary

Introduction

In traditional Chinese architectural design, construction typologies associated with human needs—including shelter, work, and rest—were structured around an open space, usually called a courtyard. Courtyards are still used today around the world, taking advantage of local climate characteristics. They remain a traditional building component in Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Mediterranean countries [1,2,3,4,5]. Several researchers have shown that courtyards can have significant impacts on the thermal comfort and performance in buildings [9,10]. In the Dariya Dwellings, part of a United Nations experimental project in Saudi Arabia, Fathy applied the traditional internal courtyard model to create an area protected from the dry and hot climate, making use of shades to provide architectural cooling [13]. Fernandez et al identified and proposed a geographic information system (GIS)-based exploration of the relationship between the aspect ratio of inner courtyards, porosity of urban fabric, and climatic factors [19]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion