Proportion: The Yard's Aspect Ratio Determines the Shadow

Two cross-sections, one at noon and one in the afternoon. The height of the courtyard walls is close to or slightly greater than half the width of the courtyard. At noon, only a small central area is exposed to the sun, with the rest in shadow; in the afternoon, the shadow completely covers the courtyard. The hotter the place, the narrower and deeper the courtyard. Avoid: making the courtyard wide and shallow, exposing it to sun all day; disproportionate wall height to courtyard width; ignoring seasonal changes in sun angle; adding sun umbrellas in the courtyard to replace the building's own shade.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一張正午與午後的兩個剖面。院子的圍牆高度接近或略大於院寬的一半,正午時只有中央一小塊被曬到,其餘全在陰影裡;午後陰影完全覆蓋院子。越熱的地方院子越窄越深。避免:把院子做得又寬又淺讓全天曝曬、牆高與院寬的比例失衡、忽略太陽角度隨季節的變化、在院中加設遮陽傘取代建築自身的遮蔭。