Study on the Thermal Environment of "Cool Alley" in Chinese Historic Settlements

Chinese historic settlements are striking testimonies to the architectural civilization of China. Based on the concept of 'letting nature take its course', these settlements promote harmony and unity between architecture and nature, and embody the ecological wisdom of our ancestors. Many of the planning and design strategies utilized in the construction of these settlements are environmentally friendly and resulted in the settlements consuming only a small amount of energy. Consequently, they had the capacity to adapt to changes in the natural environment. This paper focuses on one of these traditional strategies, called 'cool alley', an efficient passive-cooling strategy common in the historic settlements of southern China, such as in Fujian province and Guangdong province. With the worsening energy crisis and high requirements of modern living environments, researchers have gradually recognized the importance of 'cool alleys' and have begun to assess how their design principles can be applied to modern developments. In this study, the thermal environment of the 'cool alley' of a traditional Shoujinliao residence in Quanzhou city, Fujian province was simulated numerically using a three-dimensional unsteady simulation method, rather than a steady simulation method, in order to reveal the dynamic passive-cooling process of the alley. The results of the study can help to promote the modern use of this traditional energy-saving design strategy in architectural design and urban planning.