The influence of different courtyard configurations on natural ventilation through low-rise buildings

Natural  ventilation  represents  an  important  design strategy for school buildings in warm humid regions. It is an efficient way to improve students’ thermal comfort and productivity by natural means. Aiming to examine the influence of typical school buildings configuration on natural ventilation patterns, an investigation was conducted varying two important parameters (courtyard width and presence of pilotis) under two wind directions (45° and 90° in relation to the east facade). Computer simulations using a CFD software were used to examine airflow patterns, for different combinations of  the  above  listed parameters. Results showed that air speed values may have an increment up to 75% considering 90° wind incidence and up to 80% considering 45°  wind direction, for configuration with larger  courtyard. The use of pilotis produces an increment of approximately 25% on air speed. Results show that buildings with courtyards, require adequate attention when designing for natural ventilation as they can produce undesirable effects, like still areas,  air currents and turbulent zones, depending  on  the relation between the size of the courtyard and the buildings height. It also shows that the use of pilotis may  constitute  an  interesting  solution  for  school buildings.