ORO Editions

Tempered pathways

Warm weather types

A Cool walk

B Trellised path

C Shady arcade

Cool weather types

D Warm walk

E Warm loggia

F Glazed way

Tempered Pathway

Supporting Evidence

The period of daily and seasonal outdoor comfort and use can be greatly extended and extreme conditions moderated by tempering sun and wind. This promotes the pleasure of walking and greater connections to Nature.

Landscape pathways. In Garden and Climate, Chip Sullivan (2002) offers several historical patterns with numerous examples for pathways in gardens and sites. Among them: A cool walk (A) creates an avenue of shade with closely spaced trees shadowing narrow paths, oriented in the direction of prevailing breezes. When managed it can be a shady tunnel with trained plants, which can be trees or hedges, such that no sun reaches the pedestrian. A trellised path (B) grows vines on light structures or wires to provide primarily overhead shade and opening to breezes below. It can be attached to or detached from buildings. A warm walk (D) of heat-absorbing masonry materials is built into sun-facing terraces. Its tall equator-facing wall enables a solar-heated radiant warmth. A warm loggia (E) covers the path with a roof and arcade, closed on the polar side and open to the sunny side. They often include seating facing a garden or courtyard. Extending Sullivan's types, a shady arcade (C) shelters from mid-day sun and may be supplemented with vertical screening, while a glazed way (F) shields from wind and collects sun. Hot climate urban passages. Mücahit Zildirim studied ten traditional shady passageways in hot and dry Sanliurfa, Turkey. The streets were typically about 3 m (10 ft) wide with buildings taller than the street width, some covered, and oriented to the breeze. Open-ended passages were cooler than dead-end conditions, covered paths cooler than those open-to-sky, and larger height-to-width ratio configurations (taller buildings) cooler than lower. In summer, temperatures were 1–4°C (2–7°F) cooler than unshaded areas, depending on design.