New design thinking for contemporary courtyard housing

The courtyard, as the basic organizing element of the traditional Arabic house, is an enclosure that offers environmental advantages and privacy as required by Arab culture. The courtyard constitutes the outdoor living space, favoured by local climatic conditions and family life. The courtyard house offers an equilibrium between internal and external lifestyles andspaces. Despite all these advantages, the courtyard house has been neglected and ignored in the development of contemporary housing projects in the Arab world.