Optimizing Courtyard Design for Thermal Performance: A Study on Shadow and Sunlight Dynamics in Traditional Houses

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Architecture and Urbanism, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran

Abstract

The rising interest in outdoor activities in modern society is influenced by evolving urban lifestyles and complex city infrastructures. Courtyards are central in this shift, impacting microclimates and managing shadows and sunlight for thermal comfort. This study explores how traditional houses, particularly courtyards, adapt to challenging weather, focusing on the relationship between their design elements and their impact on shadow and sunlight. The goal is to optimize courtyard design for better shadow and sunlight during both summer and winter. Data from 16 traditional courtyard houses in the hot, dry climate of Yazd were analyzed using ENVI-met software for the Shadow-Sunlit index. The findings highlight the significant effects of width-to-height and length-to-width ratios, and courtyard orientation on this index, accounting for 70.9%, 25.7%, and 3.4% respectively. The Arab-ha House emerged as an exemplar for optimizing shadow and sunlight dynamics. This research emphasizes the importance of courtyards in urban design and contributes to advancing sustainable architectural practices.

Keywords


Abass, F., Ismail, L. H., & Solla, M. (2016). A review
of courtyard house: history evolution forms, and
functions. ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied
Sciences, 11(4), 2557-2563.
Akbari, H., & Niazi Motlagh Joonaghani, N. (2022).
Analysis of the geometric and natural properties
of courtyards in historical houses of Isfahan
(Iran). Journal of Asian Architecture and Building
Engineering, 21(5), 1879-1890.
Aldawoud, A. (2008). Thermal performance of courtyard
buildings. Energy and Buildings, 40(5), 906-
910.
Amasyali, K., & El-Gohary, N. M. (2018). A review of
data-driven building energy consumption prediction
studies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews, 81, 1192-1205.
Bruse, M., & Fleer, H. (1998). Simulating surface–
plant–air interactions inside urban environments
with a three dimensional numerical model. Environmental
modelling & software, 13(3-4), 373-
384.
Cao, X., Dai, X., & Liu, J. (2016). Building energy-consumption
status worldwide and the state-of-the-art
technologies for zero-energy buildings during the
past decade. Energy and Buildings, 128, 198-213.
Coffel, E. D., Keith, B., Lesk, C., Horton, R. M., Bower,
E., Lee, J., & Mankin, J. S. (2019). Future hot and
dry years worsen Nile Basin water scarcity despite
projected precipitation increases. Earth’s Future,
7(8), 967-977.
de la Flor, F. J. S., Ruiz-Pardo, Á., Diz-Mellado, E., Rivera-
Gómez, C., & Galán-Marín, C. (2021). Assessing
the impact of courtyards in cooling energy demand
in buildings. Journal of Cleaner Production,
320, 128742.
Fazlikhani, F., Goudarzi, H., & Solgi, E. (2017). Numerical
analysis of the efficiency of earth to air heat
exchange systems in cold and hot-arid climates.
Energy conversion and management, 148, 78-89.
Foruzanmehr, A. (2012). Summer-time thermal comfort
in vernacular earth dwellings in Yazd, Iran.
International Journal of Sustainable Design, 2(1),
46-63.
Haji-Qassemi, K. (2003). Iranian Islamic architecture,(
Vol., 14), Yazd houses. Iran: Rowzaneh Publication.
Hao, S., Yu, C., Xu, Y., & Song, Y. (2019). The effects of
courtyards on the thermal performance of a vernacular
house in a hot-summer and cold-winter
climate. Energies, 12(6), 1042.
Izadpanahi, P., Farahani, L. M., & Nikpey, R. (2021).
Lessons from sustainable and vernacular passive
cooling strategies used in traditional iranian
houses. Journal of Sustainability Research, 3(3).
Karimi, A., Kim, Y. J., Zadeh, N. M., García-Martínez,
A., Delfani, S., Brown, R. D., Moreno-Rangel, D.,
& Mohammad, P. (2022). Assessment of outdoor
design conditions on the energy performance of
cooling systems in future climate scenarios—A
case study over three cities of Texas, Unites States.
Sustainability, 14(22), 14848.
Kubota, T., Zakaria, M. A., Abe, S., & Toe, D. H. C.
(2017). Thermal functions of internal courtyards
in traditional Chinese shophouses in the hot-humid
climate of Malaysia. Building and Environment,
112, 115-131.
Liu, S., Kwok, Y. T., Lau, K. K.-L., Ouyang, W., & Ng, E.
(2020). Effectiveness of passive design strategies
in responding to future climate change for residential
buildings in hot and humid Hong Kong.
Energy and Buildings, 228, 110469.
Martinelli, L., & Matzarakis, A. (2017). Influence of
height/width proportions on the thermal comfort
of courtyard typology for Italian climate zones.
Sustainable Cities and Society, 29, 97-106.
Muhaisen, A. S., & Gadi, M. B. (2006a). Effect of courtyard
proportions on solar heat gain and energy
requirement in the temperate climate of Rome.
Building and Environment, 41(3), 245-253.
Muhaisen, A. S., & Gadi, M. B. (2006b). Shading performance
of polygonal courtyard forms. Building
and Environment, 41(8), 1050-1059.
Mushtaha, E., Shareef, S., Alsyouf, I., Mori, T., Kayed,
A., Abdelrahim, M., & Albannay, S. (2021). A study
of the impact of major Urban Heat Island factors
in a hot climate courtyard: The case of the University
of Sharjah, UAE. Sustainable Cities and
Society, 69, 102844.
Nasrollahi, N., Hatami, M., Khastar, S. R., & Taleghani,
M. (2017). Numerical evaluation of thermal
comfort in traditional courtyards to develop new
microclimate design in a hot and dry climate. Sustainable
Cities and Society, 35, 449-467.
Rodríguez-Algeciras, J., Tablada, A., Chaos-Yeras, M.,
De la Paz, G., & Matzarakis, A. (2018). Influence
of aspect ratio and orientation on large courtyard
thermal conditions in the historical centre of
Camagüey-Cuba. Renewable energy, 125, 840-
856.
Sabzevar, H. B., Ahmad, M. H., & Gharakhani, A.
(2014). Courtyard geometry on solar heat gain
in hot-dry region. Advanced Materials Research,
935, 76-79.
Sabzevar, H. B., Masomi, M., & Tarzafan, S. (2017).
Dormitory Courtyard Proportion and Orientation
in Yazd/Iran on Energy Consumption. Int. J. Architect.
Eng. Urban Plan, 27(2), 75-81.
Shaeri, J., Yaghoubi, M., & Habibi, A. (2018). Influence
of iwans on the thermal comfort of talar rooms
in the traditional houses: A study in Shiraz, Iran.
Buildings, 8(6), 81.
Simon, H., Lindén, J., Hoffmann, D., Braun, P., Bruse,
M., & Esper, J. (2018). Modeling transpiration
and leaf temperature of urban trees–a case study
evaluating the microclimate model ENVI-met
against measurement data. Landscape and urban
planning, 174, 33-40.
Soflaei, F., Shokouhian, M., & Shemirani, S. M. M.
(2016). Investigation of Iranian traditional courtyard
as passive cooling strategy (a field study on
BS climate). International Journal of Sustainable
Built Environment, 5(1), 99-113.
Soflaei, F., Shokouhian, M., & Soflaei, A. (2017). Traditional
courtyard houses as a model for sustainable
design: A case study on BWhs mesoclimate of Iran.
Frontiers of Architectural Research, 6(3), 329-345.
Sun, X., Gou, Z., & Lau, S. S.-Y. (2018). Cost-effectiveness
of active and passive design strategies for
existing building retrofits in tropical climate: Case
study of a zero energy building. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 183, 35-45.
Taleb, H. M. (2014). Using passive cooling strategies
to improve thermal performance and reduce energy
consumption of residential buildings in UAE
buildings. Frontiers of Architectural Research,
3(2), 154-165.
Taleghani, M., Kleerekoper, L., Tenpierik, M., & Van
Den Dobbelsteen, A. (2015). Outdoor thermal
comfort within five different urban forms in the
Netherlands. Building and Environment, 83, 65-
78.
Teshnehdel, S., Bahari, M., & Mirnezami, S. (2019).
Traditional courtyards as a microclimate in the
improvement of human thermal comfort condition.
Landscape Architecture Regional Planning,
4(3), 53.
Teshnehdel, S., Mirnezami, S., Saber, A., Pourzangbar,
A., & Olabi, A. G. (2020). Data-driven and numerical
approaches to predict thermal comfort in
traditional courtyards. Sustainable Energy Technologies
and Assessments, 37, 100569.
Teshnehdel, S., Soflaei, F., & Shokouhian, M. (2020).
Assessment of solar shading performance of
courtyard houses in desert climate of Kashan,
Iran. Architectural engineering and design management,
16(6), 473-Yang, L., Liu, X., Qian, F., & Niu, S. (2020). Research on
the wind environment and air quality of parallel
courtyards in a university campus. Sustainable
Cities and Society, 56, 102019.
Yaşa, E., & Ok, V. (2014). Evaluation of the effects of
courtyard building shapes on solar heat gains and
energy efficiency according to different climatic
regions. Energy and Buildings, 73, 192-199.
Zamani, Z., Heidari, S., & Hanachi, P. (2018). Reviewing
the thermal and microclimatic function of
courtyards. Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Reviews, 93, 580-595492.