Natural ventilation of the housing in hot and humid climates: some suggestions for the design of urban blocks.

The study aimed to identify the behaviour of wind in the type of urban blocks usually found in cities in tropical climates. The results presented here were obtained in colonial type areas. The authors' approach was to establish a relationship between the clusters of buildings and the evidence of overpressures or low-pressure in proximity to the openings of occupied spaces. A prominent physical feature of natural ventilation is the maximal difference of pressure between windward and leeward building facades. Numerical modelling is used for the mechanical study, and the simulations done using N3S CFD code. States that the results are presented taking into account a continuous compromise between the fluid mechanical expert knowledge and a general approach to the design of cities.