| The kare-sansui or dry-land garden style which is characterized by minimalism, the use of raked gravel and rocks, and by the absence of water, emerged in Kyoto, Japan, in the late thirteenth century. This study investigated microclimate and thermal comfort in the most famous existing example of the kare-sansui style - the Ryoan-ji Temple courtyard garden, in Kyoto. Results of COMFA modelling show that the courtyard has a positive effect on the thermal comfort of its users; for locations in Ryoan-ji there are on average 1.2 more hours per day spent thermally comfortable compared to in a control location. The influence on direct and indirect solar radiation by Ryoan-ji's site features, many of which are common to the kare-sansui format, appears to be the primary factor in enhancing thermal comfort, suggesting a practical aspect of the format that had not yet been recognised.;Key words: kare-sansui, Ryoan-ji, microclimate, human thermal comfort... |
