Courtyard Form Research Articles

Effect of Courtyard Shape Factor on Heating and Cooling Energy Loads in Hot-dry Climatic Zone

In hot and dry climate, the geometry of the courtyard form affects considerably the shadows produced on the building envelope, and consequently the received solar radiation and the cooling and heating loads of the building. Therefore heating and cooling loads for different courtyard shapes should be evaluated. Courtyard shape can be defined by basing on the shape factor (W/L). Shape factor is the ratio of courtyard width (W) to courtyard length (L).This paper aims to introduce a study that has produced a choice of courtyard shape varying the W/L ratios to use in their efforts to reduce heating and cooling loads. The effect of building form surrounding the courtyard is taken into account by its volume (V) and external wall area (A). In the study the V/A ratio is taken 1 for every developed courtyard building form. This study goes further to examine the variation of the obtained heating and cooling loads as a result of changing the building form with the proportion of the courtyard.

Outdoor thermal comfort within five different urban forms in the Netherlands

Outdoor thermal comfort in urban spaces is known as an important contributor to pedestrians' health. The urban microclimate is also important more generally through its influence on urban air quality and the energy use of buildings. These issues are likely to become more acute as increased urbanisation and climate change exacerbate the urban heat island effect. Careful urban planning, however, may be able to provide for cooler urban environments. Different urban forms provide different microclimates with different comfort situations for pedestrians. In this paper, singular East–West and North–South, linear East–West and North–South, and a courtyard form were analysed for the hottest day so far in the temperate climate of the Netherlands (19th June 2000 with the maximum 33 °C air temperature). ENVI-met was used for simulating outdoor air temperature, mean radiant temperature, wind speed and relative humidity whereas RayMan was used for converting these data into Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET). The models with different compactness provided different thermal environments. The results demonstrate that duration of direct sun and mean radiant temperature, which are influenced by urban form, play the most important role in thermal comfort. This paper also shows that the courtyard provides the most comfortable microclimate in the Netherlands in June compared to the other studied urban forms. The results are validated through a field measurement and calibration.

Formation of a crystallization courtyard in eutectic systems and crystal growth

The so-called crystallization courtyard is investigated that forms in processes of mass crystallization around the Ge and Si crystals and their solid solutions (Ge+Si) during cooling of hypereutectic alloys in the Ge-Al, Si-Al, and (Ge+Si)-Al eutectic systems. For the first time, data on the composition and microhardness of this crystallization courtyard are given and its role is shown as a stopper of cracking in an Al-(Ge,Si) system during rapid cooling after the heating system is turned off. For the first time, it is suggested that a crystallization courtyard forms in all hypereutectic systems (including every system in which the amount of the taken solvent does not correspond to the eutectic point).

Evaluation of the effects of courtyard building shapes on solar heat gains and energy efficiency according to different climatic regions

The courtyard buildings, which we face either as a regulator of inter-building microclimate or as a climatic regulator at urban scale especially in hot climate regions, and which constitute one of the fundamental characteristic building styles of such climatic regions, should be applied in a form compatible with the features of the climatic region it is used. There is the need for a study that allows formation of a model toward determination of the optimum courtyard form and meeting the conditions of comfort by establishing an optimization model taking into consideration the climatic, meteorological differences for each climatic region the specific climatic region requires. The purpose of this study is to examine the energy efficiencies of the courtyard buildings used either as a micro climatic regulator in hot-dry climatic regions, or as a climatic regulator at urban scale, and to determine inter-building and courtyard comfort statuses, besides, to manifest different thermal behaviors of such buildings by estimating the same fully and accurately using real meteorological data under different design and climatic conditions with computer energy simulation on different courtyard form options put forth for different climatic regions, and thus to provide new information to designers at the process of putting forward the optimum courtyard form according to the characteristics and data of the specific climate for different climatic regions. By using the CFD program, this study has analyzed the thermal comfort statuses and energy performances of 7 different courtyard shapes in inter-courtyard and building volumes that are discussed in hot-dry, hot-humid and cold climatic regions as well as the effect of the sunbeams received by the building surface and the daily solar movement on the thermal performance on the building. As a result of the entire analysis made for all building shapes, the obtained values were interpreted and the total energy performances were evaluated for each climatic region. In this study, the courtyard buildings will be assessed in terms of their thermal performances.

Kiln-Courtyard Residence in Western of Henan：Research of the Characteristics of Ancient Residences in Qiaozhuang Village

This article take the folk dwelling in QiaoZhuang Village of Mengjin County as a carrier, from two aspects that is the ecology and the shape summarized the compatibility of the kiln--courtyard residence in the west of Henan Province. The natural energy is made full use of in the village location, and according to the local conditions, conservation of the land. The appropriate materials and techniques are adopted and courtyard form is adopted. These have reference for contemporary residential design.

Field studies on the effect of built forms on urban wind environments

Abstract Airflow through urban environments is one of the most important factors affecting human health, outdoor and indoor thermal comfort, air quality and the energy performance of buildings. This paper presents a study on the effects of wind induced airflows through urban built form using statistical analysis. The data employed in the analysis are from the year-long simultaneous field measurements conducted at the University of Reading campus in the United Kingdom. In this study, the association between typical architectural forms and the wind environment are investigated; such forms include: a street canyon, a semi-closure, a courtyard form and a relatively open space in a low-rise building complex. Measured data captures wind speed and wind direction at six representative locations and statistical analysis identifies key factors describing the effects of built form on the resulting airflows. Factor analysis of the measured data identified meteorological and architectural layout factors as key factors. The derivation of these factors and their variation with the studied built forms are presented in detail.

Courtyard housing in midrise buildings: An environmental assessment in hot-arid climate

This study is an evaluation of the environmental impacts of courtyard integration in midrise housing in the hot-arid climate of Dubai, The United Arab Emirates. Computer simulation is utilized to determine the overall energy consumption, energy savings potential and available daylight levels. The study is carried out in three steps. First, a comparison between conventional and courtyard buildings is conducted. Second, the effects of number of floors, type of glazing, wall thickness and insulation type & thickness on the performance of a courtyard type building are simulated. Lastly, an optimized courtyard model encompassing the best of each of the parameters studied in the second step is generated and tested. Converting a six-floor building from the conventional form to a courtyard form, keeping all building materials and parameters the same, resulted in a 6.9% reduction in the year-round total energy consumption. The optimized courtyard model, including variations on building materials, resulted in 11.16% reduction in the overall year-round energy consumption when compared to the reference conventional form building. Comparison between the daylight performance of the two forms showed that the courtyard form was better than the conventional form during both winter and summer test days with daylight factor values close to those recommended by the USGBC, which means that the courtyard form provides more usable daylight without excessive glare.

On the development of an urban passive thermal comfort system in Cairo, Egypt

This paper investigates how urban form can be designed to act as a passive thermal comfort system in Cairo. The system utilizes two main elements, the urban fabric form, with its green structure, and thermal comfort adaptation by introducing urban green scene stimulation with the time of exposure to the urban environment. The courtyard form on a large scale is used to study comfort levels, the effect of compactness on solar access and the local radiant heat island potential in a theoretical neighborhood design using a medium population housing concept as required by Egyptian urban planning laws. Urban canyons in a grid network, with three mid latitude orientations 15°, 45° and 75° from the E–W axis, were examined, with one canyon having virtually no shade. Other canyons had a green structure containing two types of native Egyptian trees. Numerical simulations using ENVI-met were performed for hot climate conditions. Although some very hot conditions were recorded, there were evident examples of more acceptable comfort levels and cooling potential for some orientations and degrees of urban compactness due to the clustered form with green cool islands and wind flow through the main canyons. Some design guidance on how to form urban passive cooling systems is presented.

Shading simulation of the courtyard form in different climatic regions

This paper presents a modelling study carried out into the effect of rectangular courtyard proportions on the shading and exposure conditions produced on the internal envelope of the form in four different locations. These locations, Kuala Lumpur, Cairo, Rome and Stockholm, were chosen to represent the climatic regions of hot humid, hot dry, temperate and cold climates, respectively. The study highlights the effect of the climatic conditions on the suggested courtyard ratios and heights to achieve a reasonable annual performance in the examined locations. Also, it clarifies the variation in the courtyard daily shading and exposure performances as a result of changing the location latitude and consequently the sun's position in the sky. The study suggests guidelines and general rules for efficient courtyard design in the considered climatic regions. Furthermore, it states the ranges within which the parameters of the form can be changed with minimum deviation from the optimum performance. The results showed that the shading conditions of the courtyard internal envelope are significantly dependent on the form's proportions, location latitude and available climatic conditions.

Shading performance of polygonal courtyard forms

This paper examines the shading performance of polygonal courtyard forms with pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal and octagonal plans. In order to carry out the investigation, a computer program was developed to calculate the shaded and sunlit areas generated in any of the examined geometries with any dimensions. The computer model is based on a set of equations, which were derived through analysing the relationship between the sun location at any time and the courtyard form. A parametrical study, carried out by the designed model, showed that the courtyard proportions and geometry have a considerable influence on the shading performance of courtyard forms.

Mathematical model for calculating the shaded and sunlit areas in a circular courtyard geometry

This paper presents a mathematical model that was developed specifically to calculate the produced shaded and sunlit areas in a circular courtyard geometry. It examines the interaction taking place between the sun at any time throughout the year and a circular courtyard form with any dimensions and proportions in any place on the earth. This model was included in a new computer program, which allowed detailed investigation to be undertaken into the effect of circular courtyard proportions on the generated wall and floor exposed and shaded areas. The results showed that changing the form's proportions significantly influences the shading or exposure potential of the internal courtyard envelope.

City Planning and State Policy in the GDR: The Example of Neubaugebiet Hellersdorf*

‘Socialist living, working, and residing’ – this East German expression reflects the belief in the importance of the dwelling and neighborhood as counterpart to the collectivism and camaraderie of the workplace. The country’s regime conceived of newly-built housing developments, or Neubaugebiete (singular Neubaugebiet), viewing them as concrete and glass frameworks in which communities of citizens would lead a certain way of life. Nonetheless, previous literature on urbanization in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) entertains little or no analytic regard for the ideals of socialist philosophy and the need of the governing Socialist Unity Party (SED) for an identity which would serve as the foundation for entire cities. Neubaugebiet Hellersdorf serves as an example of the influence of ideology on city planning. Conceptualized in 1979 by the SED, construction began on the residential buildings and their associated infrastructure in 1985. Construction continued until 1989-90, reaching substantial completion. By that time, the state residential construction conglomerates had erected nearly 32,000 apartments where more than 80,000 people now live. The typical structure in the development comprises five stories of prefabricated concrete slabs; several buildings grouped around a central courtyard form a residential block. Situated on the easternmost edge of Berlin, the hyper-settlement belongs to the youngest city district, Berlin-Hellersdorf. Several issues arise from analysis of the planning, locating, and financing of Neubaugebiet Hellersdorf. The first question that needs to be explored is the regime’s policy of embarking upon huge projects of new construction despite the strains placed upon a rapidly weakening economy, rather than rehabilitating the historic inner city of a metropolis such as Berlin. Additionally, what lay behind the official decision to sire what was to become the country’s last hyper-settlement, a Grossiedling, in the capital? How did that decision affect the use of economic resources for its realization and design? Finally, given the social concerns of the SED in establishing the Residential Construction Programme, an examination of the demographics of the development grants a rare opportunity to observe the fate of ideology meeting residential necessity. Through archival documentations, interviews and statistical data this article reveals the intertwining of state policy and city planning in the former GDR.

Louis Kahn's Indian Institute of Management's Courtyard: Form versus Function

The courtyard form was fundamental to Louis Kahn's institutional architecture. From the Trenton bathhouses and the Salk Institute laboratories to the Exeter library and the Yale Center for British Arts, he created buildings whose focus was situated at their center rather than at their edges and whose courtyards doubled as places of community and contemplation. It is not possible, however, to draw a straight line through these commissions, as the organization of the first two was far less complex than those of their successors. Kahn learned only slowly to design courtyards in which functional considerations would not overwhelm or obscure his search for archetypal forms. In particular, the ways in which he mined a largely unsuccessful early experiment in courtyard planning, the school building of the Indian Institute of Management, in the far more celebrated courts of the Exeter library and the Yale Center for British Arts illustrates this progression from a focus on the individual pieces to an understandin...

Solar radiation and courtyard house forms—I. A mathematical model

Following a review of the literature which is available on the thermal design of courtyard housing, the relationships between the variation of the parameters of courtyard forms and the corresponding thermal performance are investigated as a basis for studying systematically the thermal characteristics of courtyard houses in hot dry climates. Solar radiation is considered to be the primary source of excitation and a mathematical model is developed which simulates the interaction taking place at the external surfaces of the wall surrounding the courtyard space. This enables the generation of detailed information on the irradiation load on these surfaces.

Old and New: The Rejection of the Fan-Shaped Auditorium and the Reinstatement of the Courtyard Form

In the programme I am described as a theatre architect. I am not an architect but a theatre design consultant – one of a small team in London which assist architects in Britain and in many other countries – for the design and equipping of theatres. All of our group are practical men of the theatre. I mention this because my training is not architectural but theatrical experience – for twelve years a director of a touring drama company with no theatres of its own but which visited over a hundred theatres in twenty countries. As a result my approach to the design of old and new theatres is empirical. I have also changed my title. It is now: Old and New: the rejection of the fan-shaped auditorium and the reinstatement of the courtyard form’.