Investigation of factors influencing the natural ventilation pattern of traditional houses emphasis on the orientation of the central courtyard

Rouhi, Safoura; Mahdinejad, Jamaledin

doi:10.22034/ijumes.2025.2046810.1273

Investigation of factors influencing the natural ventilation pattern of traditional houses emphasis on the orientation of the central courtyard

Articles in Press

Document Type : Case Study

Authors

Safoura Rouhi

Jamaledin Mahdinejad

Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Faculty of Architecture and Urban planning, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/ijumes.2025.2046810.1273

Abstract

The central courtyard, a defining feature of traditional Iranian architecture, plays a crucial role in environmental adaptation by enhancing natural ventilation in surrounding spaces. Its design integrates various physical configurations that facilitate airflow and temperature regulation, making it particularly effective in hot and arid climates. The methodology of this research is designed to comprehensively examine the natural ventilation performance of central courtyards in traditional Iranian houses. This study examines the physical structure of courtyards in Yazd’s traditional houses, analyzing how their architectural elements interact with wind dynamics. The methodology integrates experimental strategies, simulations, and case studies to analyze the relationship between the physical characteristics of courtyards and their airflow dynamics. Through a mixed-method approach combining experimental measurements, computational simulations, and case studies, this research explores the correlation between courtyard orientation and ventilation efficiency. The findings show that variations in wind direction can significantly amplify wind speed, often tripling its velocity. However, when the courtyard’s main axis aligns tangentially with the prevailing wind direction, unexpected reductions in wind speed occur due to altered aerodynamic behavior. These insights underscore the importance of strategic courtyard design in maximizing passive cooling and airflow efficiency in traditional architecture, contributing to more sustainable urban planning in similar climatic regions. Results show that by refining traditional courtyard designs based on a deeper understanding of airflow behavior, architects can improve passive cooling strategies and overall environmental performance. Future research should examine additional architectural variables, including courtyard height-to-width ratios and surface materials, to further advance sustainable design methodologies.

Highlights

The central courtyard enhances natural ventilation in surrounding spaces and is particularly effective in hot and arid climates due to its airflow-facilitating design.
The study uses a mixed-method approach experimental measurements, simulations, and case studies to analyze how courtyard physical characteristics interact with wind dynamics and ventilation efficiency.
Findings show that wind direction variations can significantly amplify wind speed, sometimes tripling it, but if the courtyard’s main axis aligns tangentially with the prevailing wind, wind speed can unexpectedly decrease due to altered aerodynamics.
The research emphasizes that strategic courtyard design improves passive cooling and environmental performance, with future work focusing on height-to-width ratios and surface materials to advance sustainable design methodologies.

Keywords

Air circulation pattern

central courtyard

courtyard orientation

Iranian architecture

natural ventilation

Yazd’s traditional houses

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