Contrasting the Passive Cooling Effect Produced by Courtyards Located in the Tropical and Mediterranean Climates

Abstract

Courtyards are traditional architectural elements applied in many regions of the planet. In this research, the passive cooling potential provided by two courtyards with similar shapes, located in different climates types (Tropical and Mediterranean) were investigated. We focus to identify physical and climatic factors that influence the courtyard passive cooling system under similar weather conditions (in hot-dry period) but in different geographic positions. Shading and Insolation were quantified by computational analysis and thermal indexes determined by monitoring campaigns, focusing to contrast the courtyards performance. Due to differences in the latitude and longitude (solar trajectory), orientation, form and period of analyses, the courtyard located in the tropical region had its internal envelop more shaded and with less insolation than that in the Mediterranean. In turn, as nocturnal radioactive cooling is less pronounced in the tropical region, the outdoor and courtyard diurnal thermal range (DTR) presented lower thermal amplitudes than those in the Mediterranean. As consequence, the average daily difference between outdoors and indoors temperature ('T) was lower in the tropical region (1.2qC) than in the Mediterranean (2.5qC). This research confirms the courtyard architectural utility as a passive cooling system for tropical climate, with less cooling effects than those deployed on Mediterranean climat