The Effect of Courtyard Shape on Outdoor Thermal Comfort of the Corridor Space and Analysis of Shape Variants of the Courtyard

Abstract

Courtyards are spaces that are credited with properties that help improve the thermal comfort of building occupants as they affect indoor and outdoor temperatures. This research proposes a shape configuration that affects outdoor thermal comfort and simulates each version with a thermal comfort index verified against the mean radiant temperature measured and predicted. The field experiment method was used for five physical environmental variables: air temperature, globe temperature, relative humidity, wet-bulb globe temperature, and air velocity. Measurement was carried out for two consecutive days in the building at four different times. Rhino-Grasshopper was used to model and compare a triangular, a semicircular, and a hexagonal courtyard. To optimize shape variants, the UTCI (Universal thermal climate index) was calculated for each. The simulation was compared with the help of the thermal comfort index to assess the thermal performance of the corridor spaces in relation to the courtyard's external circumstances. Studying this data yielded the optimum courtyard shape.