Evaluation of courtyard outdoor thermal comfort: A case study of Qingdao Riyuan historic district in hot summer

In the context of understanding urban settings and the ongoing rejuvenation of historical structures, this research centers on the traditional architecture of Qingdao's Riyuan. On the basis of typological analysis of Riyuan, It employs a combination of microclimate data and survey responses to assess the thermal comfort and regulatory capacity of courtyards with various geometric features during summer heatwaves. The study employs Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) for quantitative determination of outdoor thermal benchmarks. Findings reveal that larger courtyards cool down more slowly, exhibit a wider range of PET temperatures, and have reduced cooling effectiveness. Beyond a certain threshold, courtyards may lose their ability to regulate temperature effectively, which could negatively impact thermal comfort. The research establishes a neutral temperature of 26.29 °C for Riyuan in the Sifang Road historical area, with an acceptable range of 13.93 °C–29.79 °C and a preferred temperature of 25.83 °C. This work not only contributes to the theoretical framework for regional thermal comfort assessment but also provides valuable insights for the renovation and adaptive reuse of Riyuan block.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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