Cross-evaluation of thermal comfort in semi-outdoor spaces according to geometry in Southern Spain

Climatic events in Mediterranean cities, such as heat waves, directly affect their inhabitants. As a result, outdoor thermal comfort in urban spaces is gaining increasing research attention because it is associated with the quality of life in these cities. Significant improvements have been achieved in the adaptation of buildings; however, a similar level of resilience to climate is not observed in urban spaces.This research proposes quantifying thermal comfort in semi-outdoor enclosed spaces according to EN16798, UTCI and PET. The study is carried out in different cities in southern Spain, employing 20 courtyards with different geometries. Results reveal courtyards as liveable rooms during most hours of the day in summer. The influence of its geometry considering AR is decisive since the impact of outdoor climate on the microclimate of the courtyard depends on it, exceeding values of 60% comfort hours (PET and EN16798) in all case studies during the warm season. When AR > 3, the courtyard reaches comfort 90-100% of the hours of the day and approximately 70-80% when the AR 2-3. In the case of the most common geometries in Mediterranean cities, with AR 1-2, >70% of the hours the courtyards are within the limits of comfort.

Automated summary

This research explores the thermal comfort in semi-outdoor enclosed spaces in Mediterranean cities. The study reveals that courtyards in southern Spain are livable rooms during most hours of the day in summer, with the influence of their geometry being decisive. When the geometry factor is above 3, the courtyards achieve comfort 90-100% of the day, while it is approximately 70-80% when the factor is between 2-3. In the case of the most common geometries in Mediterranean cities, with a factor between 1-2, more than 70% of the hours the courtyards are within the limits of comfort.