The mastery of the Takhtabush as a paradigm traditional design element in the hot zone climate

Abstract

The Takhtabush "A covered outdoor sitting area at ground level" was introduced in the Mamluk period in the 12^th century to the traditional courtyard in Egypt (El-Shorbagy 2010). It is located between the shaded courtyard and the backyard, opening completely onto the courtyard and through a Mashrabia onto the backyard which ensures a steady flow of air by convection (Fathy 1986). Several studies investigated the thermal performance of the courtyard and few of them highlighted on the importance of the Takhtabush. No one investigated how far the Takhtabush can affect the thermal performance of the courtyard. The author of this paper doubts the efficiency of the courtyard without the Takhtabush in hot arid zone where the air velocity during the summer is very low most of the time. The current research conducts a comparative study between two scenarios of the courtyard (with and without the Takhtabush) through technical investigation. The investigation is done using monitoring techniques with observation and field measurements. Data is analysed using statistical analysis software. The results showed quantitatively and qualitatively the importance of employing the Takhtabush to enhance the thermal performance of the courtyard.