Natural Ventilation

in Traditional Courtyard Houses

in The Central Region of

Saudi Arabia

The central region of Saudi Arabia has a special architectural heritage of mud and adobe housing. It has a very hot and dry climate in the summer and is cold and dry in the winter. The region is surrounded by three deserts which have a great influence on the climate of the region and hence its architecture. The wind drives sandstorms and dust from the deserts and the sun's radiation heats the surroundings. It is interesting that the traditional houses in this region, built from only mud, are relatively cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The strategy for natural ventilation, which uses the courtyard of the house along with small triangular openings, together with the thermal capacity of the walls, provides very effective ventilation for the house and also provide a thermally comfortable space.

The use of the courtyard and the triangular openings as elements for natural ventilation has been discussed in the previous chapters. In this chapter, experimental work will be described relating to measurements of both natural ventilation and thermal performance of traditional courtyard houses.

 

 

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