IMPACT OF WINDOW-TO-WALL RATIOS ON THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF FULLY-ENCLOSED COURTYARD RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN NIGERIAN TEMPERATE-DRY CLIMATE

Scholars have agreed that achieving thermal comfort in the fully-enclosed courtyard house is very importantbecause of its preference for habitation by people in tropical regions and, its suitability for householdfunctions. The scholars have also concurred that the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) of the fully-enclosedcourtyard residential buildings is a courtyard design variant that is vital to its thermal performance. This studytherefore, seeks to study the impact of WWRs on the thermal performance of the fully-enclosed courtyardresidential building in temperate-dry climatic region of Nigeria, using Kafanchan as a case study. Thesimulation approach was used to test the impact of four typologies of WWRs on the thermal performance ofthe fully-enclosed courtyard house. Integrated Environment Solution and Virtual Environment (IES-VE) isthe simulation software used for the experiment. The software was validated before the simulationexperiment by using Hobo Weather Data Logger (HWDL) to collect date in a field measurement in a casestudybuilding in Kafanchan.The outcomeshows that, WWR has a significant impact on the indoor thermalcomfort of the fully-enclosed courtyard residential building. The simulated WWRs (WWR4%, WWR7.5%,WWR12% and WWR16%) performed differently. WWR16%performed better than the remaining WWRsand this suggest that it is the best for a room area of 9m2 in Nigerian temperate-dry climate. But, furthersimulation experiments using different typologies of room area(s) are needed to confirm whether WWR16%is optimum for the fully-enclosed courtyard building in the Nigerian temperate-dry climaticregion.Understanding the optimum location windows to improving airflow patterns in the fully-enclosedcourtyard building is required.Also, more simulation studies are required to make known the range of roomarea(s) for the most favorable thermal comfort condition.