The Visual and Thermal Impact of Skylight Design on the Interior Space of an Educational Building in a Hot Climate

Skylights have been among the important devices in architecture for providing sufficient daylight in an interior space. The design of a skylight, in terms of shape, orientation, and glazing specification has a great visual and thermal impact on any internal space, and thus on the choice for its optimum design. This study evaluates the daylight factor, glare and cooling loads for different designs of skylight and compares them with one another to select the best design among them. In addition to the base skylight-free case, twelve cases, categorized into three groups, were analyzed and compared. The groups, named A, B, and C, have sets of fixed parameters that differ from one group to another. The cases in Group A showed a sharp increment in cooling loads, which became significantly higher than the other two groups had, although the lighting levels were not necessarily so. Groups B and C showed varying increments in lighting levels, while the cooling loads were relatively close. Case B-4 was considered the best among the twelve studied cases

Managing University of Sharjah Setting and Infrastructure Towards a Sustainable and Livable Campus

This paper describes the setting and infrastructure management at the University of Sharjah (UoS) as a continuous effort towards a livable and sustainable campus. The UoS has been participating in the UI GreenMetric World Universities Ranking (UIGWUR) since 2017 to measure its performance in the field of sustainability for continuous improvement. During the last three years, the UoS has succeeded in being among the best 150 universities in the SI category by achieving 70% of the score. However, the UoS managed to get 75% of the total score in this KPI and 100% in the open space per person KPI ratio. To become one of the leading universities, the Landscape and Building Management Sustainability Circle (LBMSC) at the Sustainability Office has analyzed the KPIs and suggested an action plan for continuous improvement. Two KPIs can be improved: sustainability efforts and the total area covered in plants. The UoS shall increase the sustainability efforts and budget and increase the internal and external planting in the coming years. For some KPIs, it cannot be applied to desert regions. It is recommended that the UIGWUR revisit its KPIs and make them more flexible and applicable worldwide. Furthermore, for the open space ratio to the total area KPI, it is recommended to revisit the distribution of the points to have fair comparison. Action plans to improve the sustainability and livability of the campus have also been addressed.Keyword: Setting and infrastructure, LBMSC, livable campus, open area, forest, water absorption, green area, sustainability efforts/budget, and GreenMetri

Designing Guidelines for Metro Stations in Developing Countries: The Case of Dubai

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Dubai metro stations, studying their external roof forms as well as their internal level of services (LOS). The first stage of the study generally studied the best roof form of metro station buildings suitable for Dubai in hot climate regions. Common shapes of roof surfaces of metro stations in hot climate regions such as curvilinear, rectilinear, and composite were studied. Several parameters such as solar radiation, wind pressure, and wind velocity were investigated using an Integrated Environmental Solution Virtual Environment (IESVE) and Flow Design Autodesk in order to select the best roof form suitable for Dubai. Secondly, after receiving the best roof form suitable for hot climate regions, the study was extended to investigate the (LOS) inside Dubai Metro Station using Mass Motion Oasys (MMO). As a result of the study, curvilinear roof forms were found to be more efficient for hot climate regions, matching with the existing roof form of Dubai Metro Stations. Additionally, the second stage of the study provided design guidelines for metro station buildings for hot climate regions

The Building Stock in the City of Dubai: 'A Survey Methodology'

In 2003, new building regulations were introduced in the city of Dubai. In 2012, the municipality requested a survey of every building that existed prior to that year. This paper documents the method used for this significant undertaking, not performed by any other large city. The survey was conducted using a combination of Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled photography and field visits. Multiple images were taken of every street, resembling progressive film imagery, with every building recorded multiple times in the image sequence. The location-tagged images were superimposed on a city map and compared to historical satellite maps of the city from Google Earth history timelines. Whenever the photographic data was not enough to adequately classify a building, field visits were conducted. That was necessary for around 10% of the city structures. The fieldwork was conducted by two teams, each comprising two engineers, and took four weeks to complete. The results showed that, in 2003, there were around 37,000 buildings in the city. Of those, almost 89%, were low-rise (1–2 floors) and largely single-unit residential houses. Nearly all buildings were found to be built after the mid-1980s, and in very good structural condition. The system described in this paper may be applied to any other large-scale city building survey

State-of-the-art technologies for building-integrated photovoltaic systems

Advances in building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems for residential and commercial purposes are set to minimize overall energy requirements and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The BIPV design considerations entail energy infrastructure, pertinent renewable energy sources, and energy efficiency provisions. In this work, the performance of roof/façade-based BIPV systems and the affecting parameters on cooling/heating loads of buildings are reviewed. Moreover, this work provides an overview of different categories of BIPV, presenting the recent developments and sufficient references, and supporting more successful implementations of BIPV for various globe zones. A number of available technologies decide the best selections, and make easy configuration of the BIPV, avoiding any difficulties, and allowing flexibility of design in order to adapt to local environmental conditions, and are adequate to important considerations, such as building codes, building structures and loads, architectural components, replacement and maintenance, energy resources, and all associated expenditure. The passive and active effects of both air-based and water-based BIPV systems have great effects on the cooling and heating loads and thermal comfort and, hence, on the electricity consumption

Cohousing design guidelines for better social integration in the United Arab Emirates

Considering cohousing as a new typology in the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) housing market is a challenge due to the cultural and societal dimensions. However, the variety of societies in the Emirates reflecting various habits, experiences, and traditions can allow testing such new types of housing which can be adapted to the local context, considering the needs of the society. This study aims at developing design guidelines for future cohousing in the UAE, considering the pillars of the Estidama program, i.e., social, cultural, economic, and environmental aspects, in addition to the role of architecture design. The present study is based on an empirical investigation from the viewpoint of future cohousing residents in the UAE. Semi-structured interviews considering 87 individuals were conducted. Moreover, a focus group discussion targeting eight professionals was performed. Furthermore, the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method was applied to include the people’s voices directly when developing the design guidelines for cohousing in the UAE. The study showed that the aspects of culture and privacy are crucial in the future of cohousing in the UAE. In addition, providing local facilities such as majlis and praying rooms is vital to consider. Moreover, other aspects such as sustainable design, universal design, and safety are also valuable. For the outdoor environment, the study highlighted the importance of urban design quality, landscape solutions, shading, and natural ventilation strategies in outdoor spaces. Future cohousing in the UAE is expected to enhance social interaction and contribute to sustainability in the long-term perspective

Qualitative Study on Urban Morphology and Social Problems in Multi-Story Housing Projects Ajman City as a Case Study

Urban development in the Arabian Gulf region has been remarkable within a relatively brief period. The urban expansion of Arabian Gulf cities includes many multi-story housing projects of urban form is influenced by those built in Europe during the post-World War II period of reconstruction. According to the literature, these types of urban forms in Europe are associated with a number of social problems concerning the health of some residents, antisocial behavior by youth and some types of crime. The aim of this research is to investigate the presence of social problems in the Gulf housing projects that embrace urban forms similar to those built in Europe. The study shows that some social problems such as vandalism are present in some projects. Thus, further research is recommended to determine the extent of existing problems and provide guidelines for new development

Impact of building forms on thermal performance and thermal comfort conditions in religious buildings in hot climates: a case study in Sharjah city

The common system used for thermal regulation in mosques of United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. This system increases demands on energy consumption and increases CO2 emission. A passive design approach is one of the measures to reduce these problems. This study involved an analytical examination of building forms, followed by testing the impact of these forms on its thermal performance and indoor thermal comfort. The tests were conducted using energy simulations software packages. Passive parameters such as shading devices, thermal insulation and natural ventilation were applied in six cases, including the baseline case within each form. The obtained results showed a significant effect of mosque forms as well as passive design techniques on the thermal comfort within the structures. The findings confirmed that the use of passive design alone would not help achieve thermal comfort, but reduce the annual energy consumption by10%. By integrating a hybrid air-conditioning system as another supporting approach, the annual energy consumption could be reduced by 67.5%, which allows for the designing of a much smaller HVAC system