A warmer climate demands new, passive design solutions. PhD candidate Mohammad Taleghani (Faculty of Architecture) believes the Dutch should start building around courtyards.
The Iranian doctoral candidate, who will defend his thesis on December, 2014, calculated that residential buildings can use 22kWh per square metre less energy each year if they are grouped around a central courtyard because a shady courtyard is cooler in the summer and provides shelter during cold, windy days.
The research idea was prompted by the anticipated rise in temperature in the Netherlands. Current expectations are that the air temperature in the Netherlands in 2050 will be up to 2.3°C higher than in the period 1981-2010. Cities in particular will feel the effects of this because of the urban heat island effect (UHI).
For his thesis ‘Dwelling on Courtyards: Exploring the energy efficiency and comfort potential of courtyards for dwellings in the Netherlands’ Taleghani examined various types of residential buildings in the Netherlands. Using computer simulations, he mapped out thermal comfort inside and outside the home. He also performed field measurements in existing urban courtyards and in dwellings built around courtyards. These field measurements were later used to validate simulations with a scale model.
“Building around central courtyards is a tried and tested method, particularly in Arab countries, China and the Middle East”, Taleghani wrote in his thesis. “For thousands of years this has improved the micro climate in cities, as it strongly reduces the number of hours that the sun shines on rear façades. The discovery that even more energy can be saved in the Netherlands in the winter came as a surprise. Another finding was that in a damp climate, courtyards contribute to good ventilation.”
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