The influence of wind flows on thermal comfort in the Daechung of a traditional Korean house

Abstract

Daechung, a semi-open space with wooden floor located between the front and backyards of traditional Korean residences, is well known as a cool space in summer due to cross-ventilation, but it has not yet been scientifically explained thoroughly. The purpose of this paper is to characterize the wind flow measured at a Daechung to interpret the effects of the wind characteristics on thermal comfort. We measured 10-Hz turbulence data at the Daechung and partitioned the wind vector into two directions (i.e. backyard to Daechung and front yard to Daechung). Interestingly, the wind from the cool backyard flowing through the Daechung was of less frequency and shorter duration but had higher velocity compared to wind from the opposite direction, which call provide thermal comfort to the dwellers. We suggest that the wind characteristics were determined by various aspects of the house's design, such as its location and the degree of enclosure in front and backyards. The results show that traditional Korean house made use of a natural ventilation system during the summer. The principles of this system could be helpful in constructing environmentally friendly and sustainable residences. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.