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This document discusses bioclimatic design strategies and their application in traditional courtyard buildings in the Middle East climate. It begins by defining bioclimatic architecture as any design that takes the local climate into account to achieve thermal comfort. Traditional Middle Eastern buildings effectively used strategies like wind towers, courtyards, and mashrabiyas to cool buildings passively. The document analyzes how these elements worked together to regulate indoor temperatures. While traditional techniques provided thermal comfort with minimal energy, modern buildings have led to increased consumption and indoor discomfort. The document concludes that incorporating traditional bioclimatic approaches can help make architecture more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

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Marietta O. German
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56 views

Philippines Part 1 Copy 2

This document discusses bioclimatic design strategies and their application in traditional courtyard buildings in the Middle East climate. It begins by defining bioclimatic architecture as any design that takes the local climate into account to achieve thermal comfort. Traditional Middle Eastern buildings effectively used strategies like wind towers, courtyards, and mashrabiyas to cool buildings passively. The document analyzes how these elements worked together to regulate indoor temperatures. While traditional techniques provided thermal comfort with minimal energy, modern buildings have led to increased consumption and indoor discomfort. The document concludes that incorporating traditional bioclimatic approaches can help make architecture more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Uploaded by

Marietta O. German
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Civil and Environmental Research www.iiste.

org
ISSN 2224-5790 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0514 (Online)
Vol.8, No.1, 2016

The Bioclimatic Design Strategies, and the Application in the


Traditional Courtyard Buildings in the Climate of Middle East
Jamal Adwan1 Maisa Abu Muhsen 2
1. Faculty of Civil Engineering, Zarqa University, P.O. Box 150863-Jordan
2. Faculty of Architectural Engineering, Zarqa University, P.O. Box 150863-Jordan

Abstract
During last decades, bioclimatic architecture appears as an essential means for the environmental improvement
of the built environment, while the contribution of the bioclimatic approach to outdoor design for the
achievement of better living conditions has not been evenly accentuatedTherefore, the aim of this study is to
enable architects to re-understand the lessons of tradition, because the way towards bioclimatic architecture
should start by understanding vernacular architectureThis research increases the importance of bioclimatic
design and application of its strategies on traditional buildings. Recognition the role of traditional courtyard
buildings types, materials, techniques and strategies of keeping a healthy surrounding environment, finally
realize the important of bioclimatic design and its positive impact on the environment.
Keywords: bioclimatic design, traditional buildings, Courtyard buildings.

1. Introduction
The traditional buildings are believed to embody numerous intelligent design features, emerged and refined
through the historical process of adjustment to local climate conditions and social functions. And these buildings
include strategies that are technically, environmentally, socially and economically valid.
Middle east is rich source of traditional examples from history can teach us many architectural concepts
The Bioclimatic design employs appropriate techniques and design principles based on thoughtful
approach to climate and environment. So it is open to the climate advantages and closed to the climate
disadvantages.

2. So what is bioclimatic architecture:


Bioclimatic Architecture is any design that takes climate in its process in order to achieve thermal comfort. It can
be noticed that it follows traditional Architecture principle . So, the bioclimatic techniques could offer the
control needed to the development of traditional architecture methods.
In Middle East countries, larger strategies are used to cool the house. For example Mashrabiyas were
used in humid areas for privacy and ventilation through water element while in hot dry areas wind tower and
courtyard are used to do the same function.

3. An Overview of Application of bioclimatic strategies on Traditional Architecture:


Traditional buildings were designed according to the microclimate of the specific region because heat and cold
control the thermal comfort in the houses and this different from one place to another. The natural technologies
applied in these buildings have sustained human life for many decades and are purely for heating or cooling
purpose. Examples of these techniques are fire chimneys, courtyards, wind towers and Mashrabiyas. In hot‐dry
and warm humid zones such as Middle East and North Africa where cooling is more important than heating,
ventilation tunnel, wind tower, wind catcher, wind sail, maziara and courtyard are used to achieve thermal
comfort. The tower height is almost double the house in order to catch most preferred wind. Since the wind
temperature is high because of the hot climate, wind tower catches through vertical openings. Then, air passes
through cold pods and wet clothes in order to cool down before it reaches the rooms. In high humid zones,
Mashrabiyas were used instead of wind towers because houses are in similar height and to minimize moisture by
reducing interaction with water surfaces. Ventilation towers are widespread and can be seen in many countries
with different names: Malqaf and wind scoops in Egypt, Bating in Syria, Badgeer in Iran and Gulf countries.

27
Civil and Environmental Research www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-5790 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0514 (Online)
Vol.8, No.1, 2016

Figure 1. WIND TOWER (BADGIR) IN TRADITIONAL Figure 2. MASHRABIYAS IN


ARCHITECTURE OF IRAN TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF JEDDAH

4. Analysis of Traditional Architecture:


Recent researchers examined the linking between Cyprus traditional architecture with its climate and modern
villas that have traditional elements. A house with cluster of rooms, a patio, a courtyard and a light well was
evaluated by using optimization studies and simulation software.
It was discovered that all traditional elements work together cool the house in summer and create a
warm environment in winter. As a result, thermal comfort for living is achieved. Courtyards are also an essential
traditional element in thermal control. Bagneid in an investigation on almost two identical courtyards of
student’s dormitory at Arizona University; concrete and grass flooring, it was found that courtyards generate
cooling feelings for outdoor seating. Also, they react as a barrier during wind seasons while allowing little air to
circulate inside. The experiment revealed that the rooms in the second courtyard with grass flooring were cooler
at day time and warmer at night, resulted in thermal comfort.
The two applications of traditional architecture in Cyprus and Arizona State University provide benefits
in traditional elements. However, the dependence of natural wind speed can create improper ventilation. Wind
speed varies in different climate zones and countries. To avoid this reliance on unpredictable wind pattern, more
human control has to be involved in these techniques. Traditional methods have to be developed to suit modern
time but with taking the energy consumption in consideration.

Figure 3. COURTYARD IN TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE

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Civil and Environmental Research www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-5790 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0514 (Online)
Vol.8, No.1, 2016

5. The important of bioclimatic design


As a designer or builder it is important that we are aware of the energy consequences of decisions made in the
siting of a building, its form and the material choice. This is particularly important when we consider that
buildings in the eastern world consume 40% of all resources and contribute 40% of all pollution created.
Many researchers have evaluated and analyzed buildings which represent an application of traditional
techniques. A road in Ghadams, Libya shows a good comparison between old and modern buildings; 600 years
old houses are facing young houses. It was found that in summer when the temperature is around 44 C, the
degree inside the old ones is 26° C and 38° C in the new houses. This is one example of the negative impacts of
the industrial revolution in the middle of the last century. Humans have became more dependent on mechanical
devices such as air conditioning to achieve thermal comfort and this caused high energy consumption. In
accordance with USEIA, US energy consumption has increased by 28% in the last 30 years and around 40% of
energy is used by residential sector. In this sector 52% of the energy goes to heating and cooling the building.
This percentage varies between different climates where one aspect heating or cooling is important.
These statistics proves that modern architecture have created unbalanced indoor environment whereas
traditional architecture elements had worked together for thousands of years.

6. Conclusion
Bioclimatic techniques are the modern version of traditional technologies. They offer the human control that
traditional techniques are missing. Even though developing the traditional methods would help create thermal
comfort using less energy, more applications are needed in other bioclimatic technologies. Generally, concern
for energy consumption is only marginal in the majority of architectural ‐ design practices, even in the
developed countries. Passive solar energy‐efficient building design using traditional systems and bioclimatic
techniques should be the priority of any building designer, because, in most cases, it is a relatively low‐ cost
exercise that will lead to savings in the capital and operating costs of the air‐conditioning plant. Incorporation
of traditional and bioclimatic techniques will certainly reduce our dependency on fossil fuel and minimize the
environmental problems due to excessive consumption of energy and other natural resources and hence will
evolving a built form, which will be more climate responsive, more sustainable and more environmental friendly.

Reference
Al. Tamimi, N., Fadzil, S. and Harun, W. “The effects of orientation, ventilation,and varied WWR on the
thermal performance of residential rooms in the tropics”, Journal of Sustainable Development 4 (2011):
142.
Kamal, M. A. “An overview of passive cooling techniques in buildings: Design concepts and Architectural
interventaions”, Acta Technica Nepocensis: Civil Engineering and Architecture, 55 (2012) 84‐97.
Serghides, D. K. “The wisdom of Mediterranean traditional architecture versus contemporary architecture‐the
energy challenge.” The Open Construction and Building Technology Journal 1 (2011), 29‐38.
http://www.concept-bio.eu/bioclimatic-architecture-buildings.php\
http://plea-arch.org/ARCHIVE/2008/content/papers/oral/PLEA_FinalPaper_ref_217.pdf

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