Page 19 - JCAU-7-3

Journal of Chinese

Architecture and Urbanism

REVIEW ARTICLE
Optimization of natural ventilation in courtyard-

style residential buildings: Insights from inner
Mongolian design principles

1,2
Shangbing Ma 1 , Sharifah Salwa Syed Mahdzar * , Nor Izura Tukiman 1 ,
and Pau Chung Leng 1
1 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi
Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
2 Center for the Study of Built Environment in the Malay World (KALAM), Faculty of Built Environment
and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

Abstract
Traditional courtyard houses in China—particularly in regions such as Inner
*Corresponding author: Mongolia, Gansu, Henan, and Sichuan—represent vernacular architectural
Sharifah Salwa Syed Mahdzar
(ssmahdzar@utm.my) responses to local climatic conditions. As sustainable residential design gains
momentum, especially in hot temperate climates, there is growing interest in how
Citation: Ma, S., Mahdzar, S.S.S.,
Tukiman, N.I., & Leng, P.C. (2025). these traditional spatial configurations can inform contemporary strategies for
Optimization of natural ventilation in natural ventilation and thermal comfort. This study investigates the potential of
courtyard-style residential buildings: courtyard design, spatial configuration, and building geometry to regulate airflow,
Insights from inner Mongolian
design principles. Journal of energy, and indoor thermal comfort in residential buildings. A combination of field
Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, measurements, case studies, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations
7(3): 7226. was employed to systematically assess the key factors influencing ventilation
https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.7226
performance in courtyard-style buildings. The results underscore the importance
Received: December 10, 2024 of spatial disposition—particularly the orientation of openings and courtyards
1st revised: February 27, 2025 relative to prevailing wind patterns. Greater courtyard width and length, when
paired with windward openings, were proven to significantly enhance wind flow.
2nd revised: April 1, 2025
Increased building height also contributed positively to stack ventilation; however,
Accepted: May 23, 2025 improper vertical proportions may hamper air movement at lower levels. These
Published online: July 2, 2025 findings underscore the need for height optimization based on functional airflow
patterns rather than aesthetic preference alone. Moreover, the study highlights the
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
This is an open-access article importance of correlating CFD models with empirical field data to ensure accuracy
distributed under the terms of the in real-world scenarios, accounting for elements such as surrounding vegetation
Creative Commons Attribution- and adjacent structures. These insights offer valuable guidance for architects
Non-Commercial 4.0 International
(CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits all and urban planners seeking climate-adaptive design solutions in residential
non-commercial use, distribution, architecture. Ultimately, this research contributes to a framework for improving
and reproduction in any medium, thermal comfort and energy efficiency in regions with comparable environmental
provided the original work is
properly cited. climates.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Keywords: Courtyard houses; Natural ventilation; Sustainability; Computational fluid
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional dynamics; Vegetation; Thermal comfort and climate
affiliations.

Volume 7 Issue 3 (2025) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.7226