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

• Published in: Urban climate 2023-05, Vol.49, p.101491, Article 101491
• Main Authors: Diz-Mellado, Eduardo, Nikolopoulou, Marialena, López-Cabeza, Victoria Patricia, Rivera-Gómez, Carlos, Galán-Marín, Carmen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptive thermal comfort; Climate resilience; Courtyards; EN16798; Microclimate; PET
• ISSN: 2212-0955; 2212-0955
• DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101491

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. •Courtyards are comfortable spaces during the hot season in Southern Spain cities.•Adaptive comfort assessment was compared according to EN 16798, PET and UTCI.•Depending on their geometry, some courtyards are comfortable 24 h a day.•EN 16798 and PET are the most suitable indices for assessing comfort in courtyards.•All 20 assessed courtyards are comfortable >70% of their occupancy period.