Courtyard microclimate: a hot arid region case study.

This paper examines the conditions of a relatively large courtyard (45 by 10 meters), enclosed by a one-story building, located in the Negev Lowlands. The region is characterised by hot, dry summer days, and wide temperature and relative humidity fluctuations. The courtyard was monitored under extreme conditions typical of the hot spells, common during transition periods, during which even night minima are sometimes well above the comfort zone. Data were collected at eleven points within the open space and its surrounding volume, each one of the points measured at three different heights. The resulting profiles show temperature variations of up to 2.5-4.5 C between different points at the same height, but minor stratification differences. Additional differences identified include those dependent on distance from the enclosing building volume; delayed effect of surfaces exposed to the sun; and differences among ambient, courtyard and building temperatures and fluctuation.