Performance of traditional Chinese courtyard buildings from a sustainability perspective and implications for contemporary green building design
Climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity decline have prompted the construction industry to seek more sustainable solutions. While high-tech and often high-cost technologies and equipment support progress toward more sustainable built form, the sustainability performance of historical and vernacular buildings should also be reviewed. These buildings may offer advantages that are “hidden in plain sight.” This research focuses on the use of building information modeling technology to model and simulate a historical Chinese courtyard building. The outcomes of the simulation were evaluated using the green building council of Australia’s green star rating criteria to provide quantitative results. At the same time, relevant literature was explored to obtain a qualitative perspective. The final results indicate that courtyard buildings can serve as useful references for contemporary building design and retrofitting. The choice of building materials offers designers effective ideas for designing sustainable buildings. Courtyards can enhance ventilation, cooling, humidity control, light exposure, and connectivity to outdoor areas while ensuring privacy. In developing countries, this approach may be a viable way to promote sustainable development and energy conservation.
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