Solar radiation and urban design for hot climates

Three archetypal building forms, termed the pavilion, street, and court are evaluated and compared in terms of their thermal performance when they are realised as non-air-conditioned buildings in a hot climate. Techniques for calculating the solar exposure of buildings are reviewed, and a new technique is described which is applicable to arrays of archetypal building forms. A number of conclusions are reached which suggest appropriate urban forms and building dimensions for both hot and composite climates.