Screen Design and Applications for Sustainable Buildings
Fida Isam AbdulHafiz*, Mohamed El Amrousi
- Department of Architecture, Abu Dhabi University, UAE
Published in The First NZAAR International Event Series on Natural and Built Environment, Cities, Sustainability and Advanced Engineering, Putrajaya, Malaysia, 26 June 2016, pages 5 to 10. New Zealand Academy of Applied Research. ISSN 2463-5979 (online), 2463-5960 (print).
Abstract
Traditional vernacular architecture in the United Arab Emirates constituted namely of adobe houses with a limited number of openings in their facades. The thick mud and rubble walls and wooden window screens protected its inhabitants from the harsh desert climate and provided them with privacy and fulfilled their comfort zone needs to an extent. After the rapid increase in reinforced concrete villas with glass and steel fenestration that replaced traditional vernacular dwellings. There is a need to revisit regional architecture and precedent building traditions in order to resolve the increase in carbon footprint per/capita in the UAE. The focus of this paper is on reducing the dependency of mechanical cooling systems through the design of different types of façade screens and shading devices, and to develop awareness to Architecture students to culture through the production of patterns for traditional screens and how they can contribute to climate and privacy requirements in the Middle East region. This paper highlights the importance of hands on education for student architects and how physical modelling helped improve their understanding of Sustainable design.
Keywords: Building Screens; Façade Design; Sustainability; Environmental design
Rights
Copyright © New Zealand Academy of Applied Research Ltd 2016. All rights reserved. Reproduced in the GDI Academy archive from the original proceedings without change to the authors’ text.