Vernacular courtyard as a design strategy for thermal performance in hot dry climate with reference to residential buildings in Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Abstract

This research study focuses on the impact of thermal performance on vernacular courtyard houses in Jaffna. Vernacular courtyards, known for their indigenous architectural style, exhibit sustainable, climate-responsive building design despite being considered primitive in construction techniques and material usage. The study comprises three phases: analyzing literature to assess courtyard house efficiency, identifying existing vernacular courtyard house typologies in Jaffna, and investigating the thermal performance of two selected courtyard houses from different typologies within the same climate zone. By comparing their thermal performance and efficiency, this study validates the effectiveness of using courtyards as a design strategy to enhance thermal performance. The research highlights the need to study the concept of "Vernacular courtyard typologies based on thermal performance" as a new area of study. This study helps architects, planners and designers to rethink sustainable building design strategies with emerging technologies.