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Thermal Function of Internal Courtyards in Traditional Chinese Shophouses in Malaysia

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Sustainable Houses and Living in the Hot-Humid Climates of Asia

Abstract

This study aims to identify the thermal functions of internal courtyards in traditional Chinese shophouses (CSHs) located in the hot-humid climate of Malaysia with the aim of providing useful passive cooling strategies for modern urban houses. This chapter investigates the detailed thermal environments of the selected two traditional CSHs with different courtyard types to discuss the thermal function of the courtyards. As a result, it was suggested that closed, cross-ventilated courtyards be embedded to achieve indoor thermal comfort and avoid excessive humidity in hot-humid climates. Meanwhile, it was also recommended that a staggered form of courtyard with V-shaped roofs should be designed as a nocturnal cooling source.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by LIXIL Foundation and Nichias Corporation. The field measurements were conducted by the students of Hiroshima University in collaboration with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Particularly, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Seiji Abe.

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Correspondence to Tetsu Kubota .

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Zakaria, M.A., Kubota, T., Toe, D.H.C. (2018). Thermal Function of Internal Courtyards in Traditional Chinese Shophouses in Malaysia. In: Kubota, T., Rijal, H., Takaguchi, H. (eds) Sustainable Houses and Living in the Hot-Humid Climates of Asia. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8465-2_37

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