A Review of Environmental & Structural Impact of Courtyards in Hot and Humid Climate

Due to the need for energy reduction associated with the use of space, courtyard buildings are becoming even more prevalent. They provide a private and secluded space, and can be used for various purposes. From literature review, historical, cultural, architectural and structural aspects of courtyards are analysed to provide solutions in the current context of sustainable buildings. This paper focuses on the courtyard functions of different buildings in world. The results reveal that some of the courtyard's design variants were artistically manipulated to achieve certain design goals. The paper concludes with recommendations from the analysis to improve a courtyard's microclimatic and structural performances in a hot and humid climate