TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY ENVIRONMENT OF TRADITIONAL COURTYARD HOUSE AND MODERN APARTMENT IN AND AROUND DELHI, INDIA

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a field survey on the indoor air temperature and relative humidity environments of a traditional courtyard house in Old Delhi and a modern apartment in Gurgaon, India, in winter, summer and monsoon. The modern apartment showed more suitable indoor temperature than the traditional courtyard house though its heat loss was not negligible under cooling conditions. The traditional courtyard house had quite stable indoor temperature because of the large heat capacity from thick brick walls. The courtyards worked as buffer zone between the outside environment and the mild interior temperature.