Modifying School Courtyard Design to Optimize Thermal Conditions and Energy Consumption in a Hot Arid Climate

This research focuses on schools due to their significant energy consumption. It explores the use of well-designed unshaded courtyards as a passive design strategy in hot climate regions, an area that has received limited attention. The research methodology combines a qualitative approach, case study, and computer simulations through ENVI-met and Integrated Environmental Solutions Virtual Environment (IESve) software. The case study involves an existing school building in the hot arid climate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The ENVI-met software evaluates changes in the school’s microclimate and building temperature resulting from modifications to the courtyard’s design, encompassing five phases. Moreover, the research employs the predicted mean vote (PMV) metric to assess outdoor thermal comfort within school courtyards, correlating with the five design phases. The IESve software assesses the reduction in cooling sensible load achieved through improved courtyard design in the case study. The simulation results demonstrate that the optimal courtyard design lowers the school building’s temperature by 1.9°C and 1.7°C on September 21 and March 21, respectively, compared with the base case. Furthermore, it enhances PMV within the courtyard, providing students with a more comfortable outdoor environment during breaks, with maximum PMV reductions of 1.2 and 1.1 on September 21 and March 21. In addition, the optimal courtyard design achieves a significant reduction in cooling sensible load, showing a 19% decrease on September 21 and a 27% decrease on March 21, compared with the basic case. These findings underscore the potential of well-designed courtyards to enhance thermal comfort and energy efficiency in schools within hot arid climates, contributing to sustainable architectural practices.