COURTYARD

SYSTEMS

GOWTHAM. S 160101601010
❖ COURTYARDS
➢ An enclosed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky.
➢ Such spaces in public buildings were often the primary meeting places.
➢ Words court and yard derive from the same root, meaning an enclosed space.
➢ Courtyard acts as an micro-climate modifier.

❖ HISTORY OF COURTYARDS
➢ First appearance at 6400–6000 BC ,in the NeolithicYarmukian site at Sha'ar HaGolan, in
the central Jordan Valley and the Indus Valley Civilization.
➢ Been used for many purposes.
➢ Before courtyards, open fires were kept burning in a central place within a home, with
only a small hole in the ceiling overhead to allow smoke to escape.
➢ Over time, these small openings were enlarged and eventually led to the development of
the centralized open courtyard we know today.
➢ Have been found in harsher climates as well for centuries
➢ The comforts offered : Air, Light, Privacy and Security.
❖ COURTYARD EFFECT
➢ Due to incident solar radiation in A courtyard, air gets warmer and rises , cool
air from ground level flows through the louvered openings of rooms
surrounding a courtyard, thus producing air flow.

➢ At night, the warm roof surfaces get cooled by convection and radiation.

➢ If this heat exchange reduces roof surface temperature to wet bulb

temperature of air, condensation of atmospheric moisture occurs on the roof
and gain due to condensation limits further cooling.

➢ If the roof surfaces are sloped towards the internal courtyard, the cooled air
sinks into the court enters the living space through low-level openings, gets
warmed up, and leaves the room through higher-level openings.

➢ However care should be taken that the courtyard does not receive intense
solar radiation, which would lead to conduction and radiation heat gains into
the building.
❖ AIR FLOW IN COURTYARDS
➢ Courtyards give the residents of a home a private outdoor
To facilitate the moment of
space, which is secure and usable throughout the day. With
Parapet towards road side cool air into the house, parapets
its natural ventilation, a courtyard helps the house stay
to avoid outside heat are not built towards living area
appropriately warm or cool without the need for heaters and
air conditioners.

➢ In a warm climate, a courtyard can bring down the house’s

temperature. Several courtyards also include natural cooling
elements as a part of their design like a fountain, a basin, an
artificial waterfall, thick external walls and double-glazed
windows.

➢ For centuries, interior courtyards have been created to aid the

purpose of natural ventilation. Ventilation itself serves many
purposes. It provides fresh air, improves oxygen supply and
dilutes odours. When creating a courtyard, keep room for ❖ CLIMATIC IMPLICATIONS
cross ventilation, which offers the maximum cooling effect.

➢ Courtyard ventilation also has passive cooling effects during

the night, which brings the overall temperature of the place
down. In addition to this, a courtyard filled with plants and a
garden area helps keep the house cool even in scorching and
arid climates.
❖ ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF COURTYARDS
➢ One of the main reasons that courtyards have survived for more than 5000 years, is their potential to provide a
thermally comfortable area for living.
➢ Courtyards can be a source of fresh air, light and heat.
➢ They have been generally referred to as a microclimate modifier in the house due to their ability to reduce peak
temperatures, to channel breezes and to adjust the degree of humidity.
➢ Courtyards have been used in hot, temperate, tropical and snow climates with different characteristics.

❑ SUN
➢ It is discussed that courtyard buildings somewhere are sun collector and somewhere sun protector.
➢ In this regard, it is important to consider sunlight in addition to the thermal effect of the sun.
➢ Therefore, the correct orientation of the buildings and its court and the proper position of the void (court) in a solid mass
(building) should be taken into account.
❑ WIND
➢ Wind has two effects on a courtyard building. First it circulates between exterior space and inside the court; second it
ventilates the interior building by the court air.
➢ In this regard, in hot areas during the night, warm air rises and exits from the court. Then, the cooler air will enter to
replace the existing air.
➢ Hence, during the hot day, cool air is circulated to the rooms and the court can be a source of fresh and cool air.
➢ In snow regions there is limited circulation between the court and the building. Moreover, in tropical regions where
the temperatures of outside and inside the building are close to each other, the court is used for refreshing the interior
air.
❑ HUMIDITY
➢ Different natural elements can be utilised in the courtyard to increase the humidity.
➢ Humidity is needed in arid areas to achieve comfort by increasing the relative humidity of the air.
➢ Plants and water elements are the major elements used in hot and arid areas.
➢ The evaporation and corresponding increase of humidity are a result of sun and wind.
➢ Obviously, in other climates in which humidity is not required, fewer natural elements are seen.

❖ TYPES OF COURTYARDS
❑ BASED ON LEVELS
➢ There are different types of courtyard on the basis of their location on vertical plane
i.e. ground level, sunken courtyard and elevated courtyard.
➢ It will depend on the site, climate and other factors to determine the type of courtyard to be chosen
and accordingly their size and proportion should be worked out.

❑ BASED ON REGIONS
❑ BASED ON FUNCTIONS OF BUILDINGS
➢ The courtyard form is initially used in residential buildings but later on the
realizing its merit the different civilization used this concept in public buildings
too.
➢ The courtyards of public buildings are always monumental scale while the
residential buildings are always human scale.
➢ The residential courtyards are very functional in respect of climate while the
courtyard of public buildings aims to have other utilities like public gathering
spaces too.

❑ BASED ON SHAPE
➢ The circular, polygons, rectangular, square as well organic forms have been AMER FORT, RAJASTHAN
used through historical evolution of courtyards.
➢ The most popular among masses were rectangular or square form due to
functionality of the building, limitation of structure innovation and less
plasticity of material, due to economical in nature.
➢ In China, the Tulou buildings were having circular courtyard and these buildings
were built by mud.
➢ The colonial architecture has also many example of the circular courtyard in their
palaces and public buildings due to aesthetic reasons.
➢ The technological advancement and material innovations have finished the
limitation of structure and all types of shapes are possible in 21st century
CIRCULAR COURYTARD OF PALACE
depending on need.
OF CHRLES V
❑ ACCESSIBILITY AND CIRCULATION
➢ The courtyard minimizes the circulation area of house and make house more compact.
➢ The unnecessary corridors may be avoided by the use of courtyard.
❑ USE OF WATER IN COURTYARD
➢ Water is the element used in courtyard of hot arid climates especially the
Middle East countries and this influence could also be seen in India.
➢ In hot arid regions the moisture content in the air is less, so use of water adds
more moisture to create comfort condition within house.
➢ Water is used in stagnated as well dynamic flowing water bodies, used in the
form of fountains, cascade etc.
❑ ACOUSTICS
➢ The acoustics of courtyard may be worked out depending on the location and culture of place; few cultures tolerate more noise
while others are not able to tolerate even slightest noise.
➢ The courtyard wall should not face another courtyard wall but it preferable that blank wall of other house should face the
courtyard wall, if the distance between the two courtyards houses increased; there is less possibility of noise.
➢ The length and width of courtyard at least should be preferably twice or more than max height for acoustically viable noise
control device.
❑ DUST CONTROL
➢ The courtyards can act as dust controller in desert climate.
➢ The opening of rooms of house could be open in courtyard so as to avoid dust storm outside.
➢ The paving materials of courtyard could collect the dust and regular cleaning should be done.
➢ The jail on the walls of courtyard is also used in the desert climate to avoid dust.
❖ REASONS FOR DISAPPEARANCE OF COURTYARDS
➢ People prefer their house to express their status and, as a medium of relation
➢ with others.
➢ The individualization of rooms.
➢ Construction has moved from horizontal development (plotted neighborhoods) to vertical development (high rise
apartments) houses.
➢ New ways of construction and technology ensure safety.
➢ The need for privacy for women and children.
➢ Climate was moderate and adjustable.
➢ Joint families: Need for a large common space for interaction and family activities.
➢ Nuclear families: Living room/Bedroom become the new space for family interaction.
➢ Less inclination on religious activities.
➢ Abundant number of parks and play grounds for children in high rises and neighbourhood homes.

OPEN SPACES INSTEAD OF COURTYARDS