The Mahoney tables are a set of reference tables used in architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

, used as a guide to climate-appropriate design. They are named after architect Carl Mahoney, who worked on them together with John Martin Evans, and Otto Königsberger

Otto Königsberger

Otto H. Königsberger was a German architect who worked mainly in urban development planning in Africa, Asia and Latin America.-Early life:...

. They were first published in 1971 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs is part of the United Nations Secretariat and is responsible for the follow-up to the major United Nations Summits and Conferences, as well as services to the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the Second and Third Committees...

.
The tables use readily-available climate

Climate

Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...

 data and simple calculations to give design guidelines, in a manner similar to a spreadsheet

Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet is a computer application that simulates a paper accounting worksheet. It displays multiple cells usually in a two-dimensional matrix or grid consisting of rows and columns. Each cell contains alphanumeric text, numeric values or formulas...

, as opposed to detailed thermal analysis or simulation

Computer-aided design

Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...

. There are six tables; four are used for entering climatic data, for comparison with the requirements for thermal comfort

Thermal comfort

Thermal comfort is a term used by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, an international body. It is defined as the state of mind in humans that expresses satisfaction with the surrounding environment...

; and two for reading off appropriate design criteria. A rough outline of the table usage is:

1. Air Temperatures. The max, min, and mean temperatures for each month are entered into this table.
2. Humidity
   Humidity
   Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
   
   , Precipitation
   Precipitation (meteorology)
   In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
   
   , and Wind
   Wind
   Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
   
   . The max, min, and mean figures for each month are entered into this table, and the conditions for each month classified into a humidity group.
3. Comparison of Comfort Conditions and Climate. The desired max/min temperatures are entered, and compared to the climatic values from table 1. A note is made if the conditions create heat stress or cold stress (i.e. the building will be too hot or cold).
4. Indicators (of humid or arid
   Arid
   A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
   
    conditions). Rules are provided for combining the stress (table 3) and humidity groups (table 2) to check a box classifying the humidity and aridity for each month. For each of six possible indicators, the number of months where that indicator was checked are added up, giving a yearly total.
5. Schematic Design Recommendations. The yearly totals in table 4 correspond to rows in this table, listing schematic design recommendations, e.g. 'buildings oriented on east-west axis to reduce sun exposure', 'medium sized openings, 20%-40% of wall area'.
6. Design Development Recommendations. Again the yearly totals from table 4 are used to read off recommendations, eg 'roofs should be high-mass and well insulated'.