Seasonal thermal adaptability of shopping arcades in hot and dry climates. The case of Nicosia’s historic centre

Abstract

‘Traditional’ semi-open retail environments have recently received increasing scientific attention due to their ‘rediscovery’ as passive and low-energy architectural elements, which could promote sustainability in the urban realm. This is of particular importance when considering that fully-closed contemporary shopping centres constitute high-energy consuming spaces during the cooling period, in hot climates. The present study deals with the thermal behaviour of shopping arcades, a ‘traditional’ bioclimatic urban feature, in the hot and dry climate of Cyprus, by means of on-site air temperature recordings. The aim of this research is the bi-seasonal thermal performance assessment of this semi-open space, so as to inform energy retrofitting practices and promote bioclimatism in contemporary designs. The research shows that arcades were designed mainly to address the hot climatic conditions of the island. The sample tested achieved a significant daytime cool island up to 4.4K, during the cooling period. The best performance was achieved in arcades which presented minimum openings to envelope areas. In contrast, a daytime air temperature reduction which reached 2.1K, was observed in arcades during the heating period, indicating a negative thermal effect. Overall, the positive thermal contribution of arcades during the cooling period proved stronger than the negative thermal effect during the heating period.