Evaluating natural ventilation effects of atrium in a subtropical vernacular street-house in Taiwan.

Vernacular building always reflects the obvious characterization of the indigenous culture and lifestyle where people lived to cope with the severe climate without modern materials. Traditional street-house is one of the vernacular building types in Taiwan. The objective of investigation is conduct on-site measurements for evaluating the natural ventilation effects from atrium in a subtropical vernacular street-house in Taipei. The results showed that the wind velocity and air temperatures in the semi-outdoor and outdoor space were higher than that in atrium spaces. In summer, atrium space could create a stack effect to enhance the overall ventilation of indoor air cycling and interior comfort. In autumn, atrium space provided thermal insulation effect. This research indicated vernacular street-house atrium could be used as buffer zone for microclimate comfort. These findings can be used to explore the influences of atrium modifications on vernacular street-house for achieving an effective microclimate comfort in subtropical spaces.