Folk Memory and Temperature Measurements for Thermal Comfort in Vernacular Courtyard Houses of Saudi Arabia’s Hot Arid Climate

Alghafis, Mohammed, Sibley, Magda ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1629-2995 and Latif, Eshrar ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3982-6929 2023. Folk Memory and Temperature Measurements for Thermal Comfort in Vernacular Courtyard Houses of Saudi Arabia’s Hot Arid Climate. Presented at: WILL CITIES SURVIVE?, Santiago, 22-25 November 2022. PLEASTGO 2022 WILL CITIES SURVIVE? BOOK OF PROCEEDINGS VOL 1 ONLINE SESSIONS.

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Abstract

This paper presents the results of the first study of its kind as it investigates the memories of space use and thermal comfort of the previous inhabitants of eight vernacular mud brick courtyard houses of Al- Khabra in Al-Qassim hot-arid region in the centre of KSA. This paper fills a knowledge gap about recording the memories of previous residents’ behavioural and cultural aspects of their space use of courtyard houses and their perception of thermal comfort while recording the temperatures inside and outside their abandoned houses. The paper presents first the architecture of eight vernacular houses and analyses their embedded environmental passive strategies and associated social and cultural practices. It then presents the results of measurements and interviews conducted during the summer of 2020. The outside air temperature varied between 25.5°C and 44°C, while indoor rooms’ temperatures ranged between 33 to 37°C. The indoor temperatures observed on the west-facing rooms were higher than the other sides of buildings up to 2.0 °C. Interviewees mentioned that the west side of their houses was the most thermally uncomfortable during summer. Information gathered from interviewees provides a better understanding of the behavioural adaptations strategies which include horizontal and vertical mobility inside the house.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Status:	Published
Schools:	Architecture
ISBN:	978-956-14-3068-6
Funders:	PLEA
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 June 2023
Date of Acceptance:	11 November 2022
Last Modified:	13 Jun 2023 10:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/160298

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