Performance-Based Evaluation of Courtyard Design in China’s Cold-Winter Hot-Summer Climate Regions
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- (1)
- Proposes courtyard design strategies in terms of layout, aspect ratio, and ecological buffer areas in China’s cold-winter hot-summer climate region;
- (2)
- evaluates the impact of the proposed design on the outdoor and indoor ventilation, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency of courtyards; and
- (3)
- provides insights for courtyard design considering local climate, courtyard geometry, and micro-ecological impact.
2. Method for Courtyard Design Optimization
2.1. Research Framework
2.2. Field Investigation
2.3. Courtyard Design Optimization
2.3.1. Adjusting the Spatial Layout of Courtyards
2.3.2. Adjusting the Aspect Ratio of Courtyards
- (1)
- A combination of two courtyards: The southern bigger one and the northern smaller one—in transitional seasons, wind flows toward the rear patio through the narrow corridor and the house due to wind pressure in the horizontal direction; and
- (2)
- a type of layout with a larger height-width ratio, which can increase the “chimney effect” in the rear patio and increasing ventilation.
2.3.3. Adjusting Ecological Buffer Spaces
2.4. Details of the Simulation Model
3. Results of Performance Evaluation
3.1. Results of Adjusting the Spatial Layout of the Courtyard
3.2. Results of Adjusting Aspect Ratio of Courtyard
3.3. Results of Adjusting the Ecological Buffer Space of the Courtyard
4. Discussion
- (1)
- Adjust the spatial layout of courtyards to maximize natural ventilation for free cooling in summer and to prevent/minimize cold wind in winter. Courtyard buildings can be oriented with an opening toward the southeast to guide summer wind-pressure-driven ventilation and with closure towards the northwest to avoid cold currents in winter;
- (2)
- adjust the aspect ratio of the courtyard based on the impact of the depth and height-width ratio of the front and rear courtyard on natural ventilation. The aspect ratio of the courtyard can be determined based on other functions. When combining the front and rear courtyard, it is recommended to moderately broaden the depth of the front courtyard and reduce the depth of the rear patio to promote wind-pressure-driven ventilation. Also, it is advised to moderately increase the height of the rear patio to promote the combined ventilation driven by both the wind pressure and thermal pressure. A further suggestion is to moderately increase the height of the enclosing wall on the northern side to form a rear patio to resist the cold northwestern wind in winter; and
- (3)
- build the ecological buffer space to consider its micro-climate regulating function and the impact of the opening and closing form of the ecological buffer space on energy use. Adjusting the ecological buffer space of the courtyard should also meet other functions. Boundaries between the usable indoor rooms and the corridor can be determined to separate the balcony from other buffer spaces. It is recommended to install operable and closeable glass on their lateral side to keep them opened in summer so that the buffer spaces are open wide for sunshade and cooling, while keeping them closed in winter so that the buffer spaces are closed tightly to preserve heat and save energy.
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Basic Physical Information | |
Total area and volume | 798.58 m2 and 3467.052 m3 |
Room 1 | Lounge room, 19.90 × 7.00 × 3.90 (m) |
Room 2 | Dining room, 11.20 × 4.30 × 3.90 (m) |
Room 3 | Bedroom, 16.60 × 5.80 × 3.90 (m) |
Weather condition | Typical outside weather condition |
Pressure | Standard pressure (101.3 kPa) |
Wind Profile simulation settings in PHOENICS | |
Grid | 150 (X) × 180 (Y) × 50 (Z) |
Turbulence model | k-ε model standard model |
Residuals of convergence | Continuity, momentum, turbulent kinetic 10–4 Energy turbulent dissipation rate 10–6 |
Number of simulation iterations | 10,000 |
Energy simulation settings in DesignBuilder | |
Simulation period | Winter: 1 to 31 January; summer: 1 to 31 July |
Simulation step | 1 h |
Type of air conditioning | Split-type air-conditioners |
Occupancy for room | 0.0167 person/m2 |
Occupancy schedule | DesignBuilder default schedule for room type |
Thermal setting | Summer: 26 °CWinter: 22 °C |
Ventilation | ASHRAE Standard 62, 0.0038 m3/(s·person) |
Shape coefficient of building | >0.4 |
Thermal inertia index (D) | >2.5 |
Window-wall ratio | North: 0.4; South: 0.45 |
Heat transfer coefficient W/(m2·K) | Window: 2.5 Wall: 1 Roof: 0.6 |
Window shading coefficient | 0.4 |
Room 1 | Room 2 | ||||||
Initial Design | Improved Design | Reduce/Increase | Initial Design | Improved Design | Reduce/Increase | ||
Summer | Average natural operative temperature (°C) | 36.8 | 35.0 | 1.8 | 34.5 | 33.5 | 1 |
Peak cooling load (kWh) | 148.8 | 130.3 | 12.4% | 33.1 | 32.5 | 1.8% | |
Total cooling load (kWh) | 2409.8 | 1805.1 | 25.09% | 558.8 | 509.6 | 8.8% | |
Winter | Average natural operative temperature (°C) | 4.6 | 5.7 | 1.1 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 1.2 |
Peak heating load (kWh) | 193.7 | 124.6 | 35.7% | 52.5 | 53.3 | −1.5% | |
Total heating load (kWh) | 3600.7 | 2297.5 | 36.1% | 1107.8 | 1126.0 | −1.6% | |
Room 3 | Total | ||||||
Initial Design | Improved Design | Reduce/Increase | Initial Design | Improved Design | Reduce/Increase | ||
Summer | Average natural operative temperature (°C) | 35.2 | 34.2 | 1 | - | - | - |
Peak cooling load (kW) | 53.2 | 49.9 | 6.2% | - | - | - | |
Total cooling load (kW) | 823.9 | 735.4 | 10.7% | 3792.5 | 3050.1 | 19.6% | |
Winter | Average natural operative temperature (°C) | 3.4 | 5.4 | 1 | - | - | - |
Peak heating load (kW) | 116.2 | 99.1 | 14.7% | - | - | - | |
Total heating load (kW) | 2453.3 | 2140.4 | 12.8% | 7161.8 | 5563.9 | 22.3% |
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Share and Cite
Xu, X.; Luo, F.; Wang, W.; Hong, T.; Fu, X. Performance-Based Evaluation of Courtyard Design in China’s Cold-Winter Hot-Summer Climate Regions. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3950. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10113950
Xu X, Luo F, Wang W, Hong T, Fu X. Performance-Based Evaluation of Courtyard Design in China’s Cold-Winter Hot-Summer Climate Regions. Sustainability. 2018; 10(11):3950. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10113950
Chicago/Turabian StyleXu, Xiaodong, Fenlan Luo, Wei Wang, Tianzhen Hong, and Xiuzhang Fu. 2018. "Performance-Based Evaluation of Courtyard Design in China’s Cold-Winter Hot-Summer Climate Regions" Sustainability 10, no. 11: 3950. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10113950