Thermal Comfort in Transition Spaces in Desert Communities: The Study of Cases in Tucson, Arizona

Abstract

The objectives of the study is to examine the relationship and effectiveness of the transition space in front of the entries of a building. Transitional Space is the space in between a mechanically conditioned space and natural outdoor space, which is influenced by the external climate but architecturally bounded by the building. This study started with this goal of introducing a zone in between the air conditioned interior and natural outdoor to break the tendency of separating these two layers by a thin layer of glass door. A comfortable thermal environment in the transition zone will encourage activities to spill out of the building creating an alive and vibrant atmosphere. During this study to explore and examine the requirements of a transition space in a hot arid region like Tucson, Arizona, historical examples from similar climatic zones were identified and studied. Some local examples were also observed to determine the effectiveness of the different strategies used to achieve a thermally and visually comfortable environment. Four Buildings were selected based on the orientation of their entries in the University of Arizona campus. After analyzing some strategies were developed for these entries.