PLEA 2001 - The 18th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Florianópolis – BRAZIL, 7-9 November 2001

Paper Code PL01-35 Page 1 of 5

Glazed Spaces in Hot Climates:

The Case of the Atrium Building in a Mediterranean Climate

Elena D DOUVLOU and Adrian C PITTS

School of Architecture, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, U.K.
Tel: +44 114 222 0364; Fax: +44 114 279 8276
Email: e.douvlou@sheffield.ac.uk, a.c.pitts@sheffield.ac.uk

ABSTRACT: The primary role of the modern atrium, as considered by most contemporary architects, is
to enhance the aesthetic and visual quality of the building. This new role of the modern atrium differs
from that of the ancient one that was primarily environmental. In recent years the energy-saving
potential of atria relying on passive solar principles has been rediscovered. It is no doubt that the
modern atrium has the potential to play a positive environmental role just as the old atria did.
Therefore, it is important to know the purpose of designing an atrium building from an energy
standpoint. This paper aims to give a simple illustration of the critical factors and relationships and in
this way to begin to disseminate knowledge to the design professional of what factors to take into
consideration at the preliminary design stage of glazing spaces in Mediterranean Climate.
Conference topic: 1.6 Case Studies

1.INTRODUCTION but more interestingly, by avoiding discomfort through

The aim of this work has been to analyse the
relationship between building design, climate and
thermal comfort in glazed spaces. This has been
done in an effort to optimise both the comfort and the
energy performance of the whole building, particularly
when set in a warm climate.
Glazed atrium spaces have generally been
developed for temperate or cool climates where such
spaces attempt to create the environment to be found
outside in typically warmer climates such as that of
the Mediterranean. Thus when such glazed spaces
are used in warmer climates, potential for overheating
occurs.
This investigation comprises the study of the
factors that influence temperature in glazed atrium
spaces and the internal conditions that result. If poor
design leads to discomfort then this may result in a
demand for heating or cooling thus increasing the
energy requirement for the whole building.
Parameters such as the geometry of the building,
type of glazing, orientation, thermal inertia, ventilation
system and sunshades affect thermal comfort in the
glazed space. In addition, the outside climate is an
important parameter.
2. ATRIUM BUILDINGS
2.1 Design and use as transitional spaces
The atrium has recently emerged as a popular
design element for architects. This might be due to
the visual dynamics of these spaces with their multi-
storey proportions and utilisation of daylight [1]. While
atria do have advantages, they often create
operational liabilities, which could result to high costs
for heating and cooling. With an understanding of
their performance and recognition of the ambient
weather conditions, strategies can be developed to
reduce the need for heating or cooling.
At the scale of the city, transitional spaces play a
major role in the energy efficiency of parent buildings
progressive environmental transients, they also
favour the optimal receptivity of the pedestrians to
their built and social environments, and therefore
enhance urban conviviality [2].
2.2 The case of retrofitting
Energy-conscious designers use atria carefully
as passive solar climate-controllers. Urban designers
use atria to provide more sympathetic building
masses and good pedestrian route ways in cities.
The emergence of the ideas of shopping street and
public square in their covered forms as galleria and
atria is one of the intriguing design developments.
This paper report on a case study and physical
measurements, which complement one another and
help identify the problems of glazed spaces. The
space is a glazed courtyard –a case of retrofitting-
situated in a city in Northwest Greece. The use of
physical measurements has been used as a
preliminary study and some of the data is used to
verify what action is needed.
3. CLIMATE
3.1 The Mediterranean Climate
Buildings in a climate like the Mediterranean
generally need heat in winter and cooling in summer.
In the Mediterranean there are mainly two season
categories, the warm season and the cool season.
Warm season denotes the months from June to
September and cool season the months from October
to May, although October and May can be regarded
as transitional months.
3.2 The Greek climate
Greece's topography varies a lot and therefore
varies the climate of each region. Generally summers
are long, hot, and dry and it usually stays that way
with little rainfall for three to four months. Winters can
vary from cold to mild and mildly wet, but during that
time artificial heating is required in all the climatic
PLEA 2001 - The 18th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Florianópolis – BRAZIL, 7-9 November 2001

Paper Code PL01-35 Page 2 of 5

zones. Spring and autumn are the shortest seasons put. Some of these parameters are determined early
because it either rains or it's warm. If it does happen in the design stage, which means that the climate in
to rain in the summer, it’s heavy and of short duration. the glazed space and energy requirements will also
Cold winters and mild summers typify the climate of be indirectly determined at an early stage.
North-West of Greece. The region is characterised by The microclimate that is created in an atrium
high mountains and strong winds and humidity can results from particular glazing orientations, wind
also reach high levels [3]. exposures and shading devices. Proper selection of
The division of Greece into climatic regions – glazing types, shading devices, fenestration
from data collected from meteorological stations orientation and geometry, and overall atrium size and
throughout the country- affects which thermal building shape will determine the overall energy costs and
characteristics are predicted to produce the most benefits for a specific building in a given climate zone.
effective passive control of indoor climate [4].
4.2 Comfort surveys
In order to investigate atrium buildings,
measurements of environmental conditions and of
comfort have been undertaken. Because in
D Mediterranean climate spring and autumn are short
D seasons, measurements took place during the more
representative seasons of winter and summer. The
C interview periods started at 9 a.m. and finished even
C at 11p.m. covering the duration of more than a 12
hour period, almost all the time that the space was
B inhabited by frequent users or even by occasional
users or visitors.
A A The important advantage of such field study
surveys is that it is an in-situ experiment, and the
results might be applied to similar thermal
environments. Although atrium buildings are of
Fig.1: Map of the Mediterranean region. The white lines
indicate divisions between different climatic zones (image
unusual design, which, limit the applicability of the
from PASCOOL) results, they still provide useful knowledge of the
internal conditions that occur and the inhabitant’s
Climatic Zones Average Temperatures response to that.
30
A report on thermal comfort surveys in an atrium
25
Zone A building at the University of Ioannina in Greece has
Temperature

20 Average been compiled. The space is not environmentally

15 Zone B
Average
controlled (no auxiliary heating is provided and
10
Zone C
cooling during summer months is entirely dependent
5
Average on natural ventilation). Environmental monitoring
0
during the winter 1999-2000 and the summer 2000
Aug
Jul
Jun

Sep
Apr

Y
May
Jan

Mar

Nov
Oct
Feb

Dec

Month has been carried out in conjunction with a thermal

comfort questionnaire.
Fig. 2: Average Temperatures of the 3 different climatic
zones of Greece

3.3 Problems/ requirements in winter / summer

The impact of climate and prevailing weather
conditions affect the heat balance between the
human body and the environment and are the source
of possible discomfort conditions. Especially during
the summer period, unpleasant climatic conditions
have a direct impact on energy consumption of
buildings for air-conditioning purposes. Avoidance of
overheating during the warm period is a major
concern in hot climate countries. Thermal comfort in
indoor spaces can be achieved using appropriate
architectural design principles, together with heat Fig.3 & Fig.4: The atrium in the Philosophic School of the
removal techniques, and auxiliary cooling equipment. University of Ioannina, in winter and summer respectively

The questionnaires were of short duration, 3-5

4 COMFORT min, addressed to people from the same thermal
background (i.e. the Mediterranean). It involved
4.1 Comfort in Transitional Spaces questions acquiring personal information, closed
A further basic influence, before any strategy questions where the respondent’s evaluation of
can be turned into a design, is the degree of comfort thermal environment was sought (using the 7-point
expected or required from the occupants in the atrium ASHRAE Scale), whereas open questions were
space itself and the type of use to which the space is employed for the part examining the use of space,
PLEA 2001 - The 18th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Florianópolis – BRAZIL, 7-9 November 2001

Paper Code PL01-35 Page 3 of 5

activity, etc. Some of the information retrieved was to
examine the subject’s thermal balance (and therefore
sensation vote) and test whether thermal comfort
conditions affected the extra time they spent in the
space. It also made a difference how familiar they
were with the space (regular/frequent user or
occasional visitor).
4.3 Results from Comfort Surveys
Expectation plays a large role on how people
experience comfort. In some cases, an expectation
for lack of comfort may lead to a greater tolerance for
temperature variation. This work relates to the design
element’s effect on temperatures occurring inside the
atrium space. It is also a study of an environmental
effect as well as a comfort survey. It looks into design
parameters that influence the thermal environment,
internal atrium conditions –mainly expressed as air
temperature and the people’s behavior and reaction
and sensation.
COMFORT SURVEY-WINTER RESULTS
4.3.1 Winter Results
The correlations from the winter survey show
that, as the internal atrium temperature increases, the
subjects seem to expect to feel cooler in the atrium
space! This probably has to do with the fact that the
space is unheated, while the adjacent buildings have
a central heating system working 24 hours a day.
As the majority of the people were using the
glazed courtyard coming from one of the adjacent
buildings, they indicate a cooler sensation of the
space, perhaps because the buildings are warmer.
Even though there is a rise in the internal atrium
temperature, the subjects would prefer to feel
warmer.
What makes these correlations quite interesting
is that they were not anticipated. The outcome is that
occupants’ perception of a space like a glazed
courtyard is difficult to be described only through a
comfort survey.
COMFORT SURVEY-SUMMER RESULTS

Air Temperature (C 0) and Sensation Vote-

Air Temperature (0C) and Expecattion Vote-
Summer 2000
Winter 1999 3
3

2
2

1
1
0
0
-1
-1
-2
-2
-3
-3 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 5 10 15 20

Air Temperature (0C) and Sensation Vote- Air Temperature (0C) and Expectation Vote-
Winter 1999 Summer 2000
3 3

2 2

1 1

0 0

-1 -1
y = -0.0795x

-2 -2

-3 -3
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
0 5 10 15 20

0
Air Temperature ( C) and Preference Vote- Air Temperature (0C) and Preference Vote-
Winter 1999 Summer 2000
3 3

2 2

1 1

0 0

-1 -1

-2 -2

-3 -3
0 5 10 15 20 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
PLEA 2001 - The 18th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Florianópolis – BRAZIL, 7-9 November 2001

Paper Code PL01-35 Page 4 of 5

3.2 Summer Results
As can be seen from the graphs that examine
internal air temperature and people’s votes, people
were expecting somehow for the temperatures inside
the atrium to be within comfort limits for them, that is
slightly cooler. The more the air temperature rises the
less tolerant they become but still without an
excessive need for cooling.
They also seem to feel quite neutral when the
temperatures inside the atrium are between 18 to
0
25 C but they are still quite tolerant even when the
0
temperature rises to 29 C.
From the graphs it is also clear that the majority
of the subjects were expecting an even cooler
environment.
An important feature of the field measurements
conducted was the expectation vote. It seems to be a
very important and decisive factor in the subjects’
questionnaires. First it has to do with the fact that if
the subject has a knowledge that an enclosed space-
covered with glass would probably cause overheating
problems, which may cause a higher expectation
vote. Another subject would feel that since there is an
enclosed space it is probably environmentally
controlled and would probably expect to find it cooler.
air temperature was carefully shielded from solar
radiation, which would greatly affect the readings.
The data loggers were set to record every 10 min
for a continuous period of almost 3 months during
winter 1999-2000, and 3 months for summer 2000, so
as to indicate the variety of thermal conditions
encountered in the same area over time. For security
reasons, the data loggers had to be installed in places
where it would not be easy to reach them and
therefore the monitoring method had a limitation. The
interviews lasted around 3-5 min, the mean value
recorded was representative of the actual conditions.
5.2 Building Performance
The key point to be examined here is the extent
to which acceptable indoor temperature ranges
depend upon outdoor weather for both the heated
and non-conditioned cooling periods. The adaptive
model relies on data from both external weather and
interior conditions.
35
30
Temperature (C 0)

25
The subjective judgements are always affected by the
preceding environmental condition or reference level. 20
It is suggested that the subjects’ opinion has to do 15
with the place they were just before entering the 10
atrium space. If they were coming from outside the
5
building then they would find it pleasantly cool, since
there is quite a long unshaded road to walk to the 0
6.00p.m.

3.30p.m.

2.45p.m.
9.35p.m.
1.30p.m.
8.00p.m.
11.30a.m.
6.10p.m.
2.00p.m.
8.30p.m.
1.50p.m.
7.05p.m.

6.50p.m.
12.00p.m.

11.00p.m.

10.35p.m.

12.20p.m.
atrium building.
Along with the comfort survey there were
personal observations of the occupant’s behaviour. Time
This was correlated with the results from the open 0
Fig. 5: Ta ( C) Recorded by data-loggers in the atrium
questions examining the use of space, activity, etc. It building on days of interviews - summer 2000
should be noted here how certain design features 35
made it easier for an occupant to spend more time in
30
the space (i.e. sitting areas). One of the most
25
interesting results was the fact that many people can external
20 temperature
use the courtyard in the summer, protected by the
Ta ( C)

atrium
0

15
roof and the shading devices, whilst it was temperature

“unbearable” to do so before the construction of the 10

glazed roof, under the harsh summer daylight of July. 5

0
00: 00: 00

02: 00: 00

04: 00: 00

06: 00: 00

08: 00: 00

12: 00: 00

14: 00: 00

16: 00: 00

18: 00: 00

20: 00: 00

22: 00: 00

00: 00: 00
10:00:00

5. BUILDING MONITORING
Time

5.1 Periods of Monitoring Fig.6: Comparison of ambient temperature and internal

The site was used as the medium for examining
comfort conditions in glazed courtyards in
Mediterranean climate over an extended period. The
primary objective was to collect and compare
objective and subjective data, in order to evaluate the
thermal comfort conditions people were experiencing.
This was achieved by recording environmental
parameters and compared with the results with the
subjective responses from the interviews. The
environmental parameters measured provided data
sets of air temperature, relative humidity and light
intensity in conjunction with external weather
measurement. Environmental monitoring was crucial
in order to determine the climatic conditions of the
space under consideration. The equipment measuring
atrium temperature for June 21st 2000
As we can see from fig.5 and, the atrium space
appears to have a periodical daily performance as
seen over a week’s time during a summer month.
Although the ambient temperatures reached more
0
than 35 C, the internal temperatures were between
0
25 with the highest of 29 C. In Fig.6 there is a
comparison of ambient temperature and internal
st
atrium temperature for June 21 2000, when some of
the highest ambient temperatures for the region
occurred. The temperatures inside the atrium where
0 0
recorded to be 5 C to 3 C less than the external
temperature. Considering the fact that the space has
no mechanical ventilation, this seemed
PLEA 2001 - The 18th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, Florianópolis – BRAZIL, 7-9 November 2001

Paper Code PL01-35 Page 5 of 5

The relative humidity was measured between during the winter months, whilst allowing the use of
30% and 55%, which considering the presence of an otherwise unoccupied space during summer
plants in the space was considered to be good. months.
16 The type of glazing, the geometry, orientation,
14 thermal inertia and ventilation systems of the building
12 will be investigated through a simulation programme.
10 External This should allow some more general conclusions to
Ta C

Temperature
8 be drawn allowing suggestions for improvement and
6
Internal production of design guidelines.
Temperature
4
2
0 6. CONCLUSIONS
11

13

15

17

19

21

23
1

Time
Optimising thermal comfort and energy
Fig.7: Comparison of External and Internal Atrium consumption in glazed spaces set in a Mediterranean
Temperature for December 20th 1999 climate are significant and highly desirable goals for
this research and this paper describes part of it.
In Fig.7 and Fig.8, there is a comparison of Testing in actual spaces provides an opportunity
ambient temperature and internal atrium to measure interactive effects of several variables
temperatures for 2 days in December 1999. The days determining energy consumption as well as comfort.
were chosen as an example, for the criteria of the The small scale monitoring of the atrium in Ioannina
lowest ambient temperature monitored at that period. and the comfort survey were complimented by a visit
It is quite interesting therefore to see how the building of 20 more different atrium buildings all over Greece.
performed during two of the coldest days of the The first results show that, even not mechanically
winter. controlled buildings can have temperatures within or
close to the comfort limits. And even though the
ambient temperatures can be quite high or in the
16 northern climatic zone quite low, the users seem to
14 enjoy the atmosphere created in the atrium space.
12 Therefore the aspect that backs up that glazed
10 External spaces must be avoided in warm climates should be
Ta (C0)

Temperature
8 reconsidered. It seemed that the summer period
6 Internal when the most uncomfortable conditions occur, these
Temperature
4 spaces provide shade and protection from the harsh
2 sun, and can be useful as an overall transition space.
0 The next approach in the line of this research is
to verify existing measured conditions through the
1

11

13

15

17

19

21

23

Time
simulation program. Weather sets will be produced
Fig.8: Comparison of External & Internal Atrium from the measured on-site data and used in a thermal
Temperatures for December 21st 1999 simulation program.
The outcome of the project is aimed to be better
As it appears in the graphs the external atrium design guidelines for use in warm climates.
0
temperature ranged between 1 and 10.5 C. The
temperatures inside the atrium space had a much
0
smoother range from 12 to 16 C. And it appears that
at the time there is the lowest external temperature, REFERENCES
the atrium has quite a steady temperature and a
0
difference of 8 C with the outside temperature. [1] Bednar, M.J. 1986 “The New Atrium”, NY-
McGraw-Hill
[2] Hashimoto T. 1989 “Study of Atrium”, Process
5.3 Analysis Architecture, Jan. 1989, pp. 29-39
The intention of the architect of the building was [3] Rumney, George. Climatology and the World's
to use the glazed space as passive solar climate- Climates. The Macmillian Company. N.Y. 1968
controller. But a successful result always depends on pg.238-250
occupant’s awareness of it’s potential to save energy [4] Kolokotroni, M. and Young A., “The Zoning of
as well as create a comfortable environment. In this Greece for Use in Climate Responsive Building
case, the occupants were hardly aware of it’s Design” - PLEA Proceedings 1988, pp 499-504
potential to heat the adjacent spaces during winter, [5] The ambient climatic data were provided by the
and use the courtyard to naturally ventilate the same Department of Physics and Meteorology of the
spaces during summer. University of Ioannina
Factors like daylighting were important in terms
of visual comfort both for winter and summer months.
The roof structure reduced light less than expected