The Effects of Courtyards on Indoor Thermal Conditions of Chinese Shophouse in Malacca

This paper discusses the effects of courtyards on indoor thermal environment in a traditional shophouse in Malacca, Malaysia based on the results of field measurement. The results showed that the indoor air temperatures in the living hall (ground floor) and the master bedroom (first floor) were approximately 0.3-1.7 °C lower than the corresponding outdoor air temperature during daytime. The structural cooling effect in these rooms was reduced due to relatively large ventilation rates caused by the two courtyards. Meanwhile, during night-time, the indoor air temperatures in the two rooms were merely 0.8-1.9 °C higher than the outdoors. The results of the thermal comfort evaluation showed that the indoor operative temperatures in both rooms exceeded the 80% upper comfortable limits over 36-47% of the measurement period. Furthermore, the smoke test and the sequential photograph observation revealed that there were three air flow patterns in and around courtyards during the measurement period.