Author A is a professor at the College of Design, University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Author B, C, D, E are graduate students of the Department of Architecture, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Traditional Sustainability: Environmental Designs in the Traditional Buildings of the Middle East

Zainab Faruqui Ali, PhD, Amani Alamoudi, Badriah Alajmi, Eman Khayat, Sumayyah Alshraim University of Dammam zfali@ud.edu.sa Keywords: Traditional, architecture, sustainable, environmental strategies, comfort.

ABSTRACT

The traditional mud buildings present throughout the hot dry countries of the Middle East provide excellent references to the sustainable elements of architecture. This paper presents the results of the research of a few buildings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates in terms of architectural problems due to climate, and the environmental elements as their solutions. The buildings studied ranges from mud houses, mud palaces to souks or bazars. These are, Shaikh Issa House in Muharraq, Kingdom of Bahrain, Al-Mulla House in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia (K.S.A), Souk Waqif in Doha, Qatar, and Shaikh Saeed Al Maktoum House in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E). Measurements were taken of air temperature, relative humidity, and airflow. Observations were made on the various aspects such as plan, form, orientation, sections, elevations, materials and methods of construction and details of the buildings. Comfort survey was conducted among the occupants. The paper shows that the traditional architectural solutions to the climatic problems of the Middle Eastern countries such as thick walls, small openings, shaded courtyards, use of local materials and a few special strategies work very well in the context in terms of providing comfortable environment indoors. The measurements of temperature, relative humidity and airflow compared to the comfort ranges of the region, reinforce the sustainable design of these buildings.

INTRODUCTION

The case studies for this research are located in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Qatar, all of which fall under the broader umbrella of tropical hot-dry climate Ragette, 2012). The buildings range from market or Souk, small single courtyard house, to large multiple courtyard houses. The masons used local materials and methods in these buildings. An in-depth pilot research on the environmental behavior and related climate modifying elements and strategies of these buildings were conducted recently. These traditional building in the Middle Eastern hot-dry tropical climate is of mud. Whether made of poured in mud, or sun-dried mud blocks, they are good in making indoors cooler than outside (Bekleyen & Dalkiliç, 2011). The thicknesses of the earth walls help keep the indoors considerably cool (Vincent, 2008). With walls of high thermal mass and other environmental strategies, these buildings are able to keep the interiors much cooler than outdoors. Courtyards in these buildings meet environmental and privacy requirement well (Laffah, 2006)(Awadhi & Hasan, 2011).

CASE STUDIES

Location, Plan, Section, and Elevation

Table 1. Plan, Section and Elevation Lo

catio

ns

Map

(1)

Doh

a, Q

atar

So

uk W

aqif

(2) Elevation

(3) 3D view

(4) Site plan

Al-A

hsa,

K.S

.A.

Al-M

ulla

Hou

se

(5) Main façade

(6) Gr. floor

(7) 1st floor

Muh

arra

q, B

ahra

in

Shai

kh Is

sa H

ouse

(8) Main façade

(10) Gr. floor (11) 1st floor

(9) Elevation

(12) Section

Dub

ai, U

.A.E

. A

l Mak

toum

H

ouse

(13) Southern façade

(14) Gr.floor

(15) 1st floor (16) Elevation

Location, Climate and Building Description

Table 2. Location, Climate, Building and View

Loca

tion Doha, Qatar

25.2867°N Coastal city.

Al-Ahsa, K.S.A. 25.4294° N Oasis city in desert.

Muharraq, Bahrain 26.2500° N Coastal city.

Dubai, U.A.E. 24.4667° N Coastal city.

Clim

ate

(1) Hot-dry tropical.

(2) Hot-dry tropical.

(3) Hot-dry tropical.

(4) Hot-dry tropical.

Bui

ldin

g Market complex. Narrow shaded roads, with wind tower-buildings.

Irregular shaped 3-courtyard building.

2 storied house with 4 courtyards & wind tower.

2 storied courtyard house with wind tower and liwans.

Vie

w

(5) Wind tower house,

Doha

(6) Central courtyard,

Al-Ahsa

(7) Central courtyard,

Muharraq

(8) Central courtyard,

Dubai.

FINDINGS: CLIMATE MODIFYING ELEMENTS/STRATEGIES

The Findings of the research is given in the following chart for ease of comparison of the architecture of the four countries. This also shows the environmental strategies, which are common in some of the buildings, as well as strategies that are unique to a single building.

Table 3. Environmental Strategies Environmental Elements/Strategies Countries

Compactness Compact urban form, building shading building,

shaded walkways. Protection from direct solar radiation & hot wind (fig 1, 2, 3, 4).

Orientation Building oriented N-S for min. solar radiation and

max. exposure to wind & cross ventilation (fig 5). Evaporative cooling from creek (fig 6, 7). Openings in north façade. Tilted east façade for northeast breeze (fig 8, 9).

Walkways/Alleys Double & triple height buildings, narrow roads,

various angles of winding roads, building orientation create shade in the alleys (fig 10).

Plantation The photosynthesis strategy of plants reduces the

heat gain on the roads, which reduces the temperature of immediate microclimate (fig 11, 12).

Shaded Walkways/Alleys The alleys in many cases are covered with fabric to

provide shade, thereby cooler alleys (Al-Eidi, L., 2013) (fig 14).

(1) Doha (2) S Arabia (3) Bahrain (4) Dubai

(5) Doha (6,7) Dubai

(8,9) Bahrain

(10) Doha

(11,12) Dubai (13) Dubai (14) Doha

Façade Solid walls & minimum openings on the western

and southern façades to delay & reduce solar gain (fig 15).

Windows Small recessed windows & clerestory, few in

number, bring controlled & indirect natural light, thus less heat gain. Wooden frame and shutters (fig 16,17)

(15) Dubai (16) Dubai (17) S Arabia

Parapet Detailing Roof parapet consists of hidden openings which

allow air movement and privacy (fig 18,19,20)

(18, 19, 20) Bahrain Courtyards Courtyards, generally small & partially shaded

most of the time, help air cool down before entering indoors (fig 21, 22). Wells in courtyard help evaporative cooling (fig 23).

(21) S Arabia (22) Dubai (23) Bahrain Space Layering Space sequence is from outdoors to wide shaded

corridor or liwan, then to room. Layering of space makes rooms cooler than outdoors. Breeze gets cooler by passing through this shaded space, before entering the room (fig 24, 25).

(24, 25) S Arabia Corridor/Arcade or Liwans Courtyards have surrounding arcades or liwans.

These shaded semi-outdoor spaces block direct sunlight from penetrating indoors and provide shade to rooms; provide passage for occupants without being exposed to direct sun (fig 26, 27). Covered liwan, used for sitting, with thick roof and arcaded walls is cooler than outdoors in summer. As found in the study, liwan - 35˚C, outdoor - 37 to 39˚C. Arcaded corridors guide the breeze well.

Shading Shading of walls, openings, courtyards, liwans is

the most effective strategy to keep interiors cooler. (Batterjee, 2010). This also helps in circulation of warmer air outwards (fig 30, 31).

(26) Bahrain (27) Dubai

(28) Dubai (29) Bahrain

(30, 31) Bahrain

Wind Towers or Badjir Common in this region. Brings in cooler air from

higher up which circulates through interior spaces; sometimes water is sprinkled in the surrounding walls to cool the air more (fig 32, 33).

House in Moharraq has a large badjir, in Majlis or women’s living room. Temperature below the tower was 1˚C cooler than rest of the room.

(32) Muharraq (33) Dubai

High Windows High windows work as air fan, since lighter warm

air rises up and escapes through high openings, allowing cooler air to enter the room from below (fig 34, 35, 36).

Roshan, Perforated Screen Openings Perforated screen or ventilator or roshan very

effective in reducing room temp; warm air rises up and escapes through it. The screen diffuses the direct sunlight and reduces heat gain (fig 37).

(34) Dubai

(35) S Arabia

(36) Bahrain

(37) Doha

3 layers of perforated openings let air escape more frequently, depending on its temp. (fig 38, 39, 40).

(38) S Arabia

(39, 40) Bahrain

Monsoon Window/Horizontal Slit Window The monsoon windows are small horizontal

openings in the walls, which provide natural ventilation, indirect sunlight and privacy. It is mainly used on the exterior walls of 1st floor (fig 41).

(41) Bahrain

Roof Material Roof consisting of mud, palm trunks, bamboo,

mangrove wood and palm leaves provide good thermal insulation (fig 42, 43).

Roof Thermal Mass Thermal mass of thick roof aid in delaying and

reducing solar gain inside. Roof thickness is between 0.30m to 0.70m

(42) Dubai (43) Doha

Wall Material Walls of mud blocks, coral stone, palm trunks and

straws act as very good insulators. Poured in mud, or sun-dried mud blocks of rough

texture. A variety of interior materials help diffuse sunlight (fig 44, 45)

Wall Thermal Mass All four case study buildings have thick mud

walls, typical of Middle Eastern architecture; wall thickness is from 0.40m to 1.00m. This gives high thermal mass to the building; thereby reducing and delaying heat gain inside (fig 48). Fursh coral, 0.07 m thick, was used with mud for infill panels between piers and for partitions. Dubai house had a difference of 2.7°C between outer and inner surfaces of exterior wall: •1-outer 35°C, •2-inner 32.3°C (fig 49).

(44, 45) Doha

(46) Bahrain (47) Dubai

(48) Bahrain (49) Dubai Floor Mostly earth over compacted sand. Some exterior

ones were of rough cut stone. Mud kept floor cool (fig 50, 51). In Dubai, surface temperatures of floors at various spaces were: •1-unshaded area 37.8°C, •2 shaded liwan 34.0°C, •3 -room 31°C (fig 52).

(50, 51) Dubai (52) Dubai

FINDINGS: ANALYSIS OF DATA ON TEMPERATURE, RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND AIRFLOW

Comfort Zone

Figure 1 Application of Comfort Zone in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Source: (S. A. ALAJLAN, M. S. SMIAI, U. A. ELANI, 1997)

The comfort zones are similar for the hot-dry climates of these four adjacent countries, varying slightly from each other. The comfort zone of Saudi Arabia, which has the lower average temperatures among the four countries, has been taken as a standard for all countries.

The comfort values for different climatic elements can be considered as standard for Saudi Arabia as established by ALAJLAN, SMIAI, ELANI. According to Fig.1 summer temperature range is from 28˚C to 33˚C and Relative humidity ranges from 42% to 55%. With mass effect, and evaporative cooling, both of which is present and practiced in these buildings at a high level, the upper limit of the comfort temperature can be above 40˚C, and humidity can range from 15% to 58%.

Table 4. Temperature, Relative Humidity and Airflow Market/Souk

Waqif Doha, Qatar

Spac

e

˚C RH %

Air m/s

Al-Mulla House

Al-Ahsa K.S.A.

Spac

e ˚C RH % Air

m/s

Nov Nov May Nov May May

A 22 59 0.9

1 29 39 48 28.4 1.1 B 24 48.9 0.4 1 26.1 40 55 34 1.7 C 24 59 0.5 2 24.4 35.9 62 39 0.6 C 26.1 52.6 0.4 3 25.9 38 57 32.3 0.7 D 24.9 57.2 1.2 3 25.6 44 51 24.6 0.7 D 25.3 53.4 4 23 36 64 33.3 0 E 25.8 52.7 0.4 5 25 36 58 48 0 F 26.9 46.6 0.4 7 27 39 43 30 0 G 27.8 46.6 0.5 8 24.6 35 57 35.8 0 H 26 45 1.3 9 28 38 47 37 0.6 I 32 40.9 0.9 10 25.5 38.8 56.4 31.4 0 I 29 43 1.5 11 25.8 39 60 31 0

Table 5. Temperature and Relative Humidity Shaikh Issa House, Muharrq,

Bahrain

Spac

e Space Name ˚C RH % Nov May Nov May

1 Entrance 24 35.7 0.73 30 2 Family Courtyard 30.1 38 50.1 22 4 Family majles 27 35 58.3 25 11 Under the badjer 27 35 61.1 31 12 Family majles 26.2 35 60 33 13 Children living room 28.4 35.6 47.1 28.6 14 Room for married son 28.6 35.8 45.6 28 15 Sheikh courtyard 32.2 34.5 46.9 32.6 19 Shaikh room 29.3 32.6 52.5 35.5 21 The sheikh son room 27.9 33.3 57.4 31.3

22 Services courtyard 27.6 35.4 53.3 26.5 27 Kitchen 26.8 35.3 57.5 35.8 28 Business majles 26.5 34.9 60.8 27.7 29 Kitchen 26.5 35 58.5 21 30 Uncovered passage 26.6 35.4 60.1 26.5 31 Visitor court 26.4 35.3 52.6 20.4 38 Portico 28.9 35.7 46.9 29.5 39 Shieak living room 28.9 35 48.5 33 40 Open area 27.9 35.5 45.8 29.6

Table 6. Temperature, Relative Humidity and Airflow Shaikh Saeed Al-Maktoum

House, Dubai, U.A.E.

Spac

e Space Name ˚C RH % Air m/s

Nov May Nov May Nov May

1 Shaded side street 25.4 34.2 62.1 46.4 0 1.5 2 Unshaded side street 27.5 36.5 62.1 46.3 0 1.5 3 Open courtyard/plaza 30.6 36.3 42.2 46.3 1.2 1

(A) Shaded 26.7 35.2 52.4 52 0 1.1 (B) Unshaded 28 36.6 49.5 46.5 0 1.4

C Summer room 27.5 34 48.1 52.4 1.2 1.5

D Open roof, partly shaded 28.3 34 47.7 51 1.7 1.5

The analysis of data in Tables 4, 5 and 6 is presented below.

Market or Souk, Doha, Qatar

It is a semi-outdoor space. As average temperature of Qatar is higher than Saudi Arabia, the comfort zone of Saudi Arabia well served the function of comfort assessment here, as in Figure 1. Data in market spaces met the comfort values in the beginning of winter. Market spaces’ temperature range was 22-27.8°C and relative humidity 46.6-59%. Both the values are within the comfort range as shown in Figure 1 As the Comfort chart suggested, in Figure 1, high thermal mass, night ventilation and evaporative cooling, all of which existed in the buildings, effectively helped the spaces be comfortable in summer and winter.

Al Mulla House, Al-Ahsa, K.S.A.

In winter, when the exterior temperature was low, the interior temperature was warmer and the reverse was observed for summer. Roofs of the house is made of wooden beams, palm trunks and leaves, palm leaf or bamboo mat which, topped by earth, acted as insulating material against the summer heat and the cold of winter. The measurements in various rooms show that internal temperature remains nearly constant around the day on a typical summer or winter day, while the ambient temperature has a large diurnal variation. House has no trees inside the courtyard now. It originally had some in the courtyard, which helped in more comfortable performance of the building. Relative humidity indoors was found to be lower than outdoors, which added to the comfort conditions.

Shiekh Issa House, Muharraq, Bahrain

It is seen that there are variations in data of different spaces depending on the orientation, proximity to courtyard, level of floor, liwan location, number and types of openings, etc. Indoor spaces are warmer in winter and quite cooler in summer than the outdoor readings. Temperature and relative humidity are within the comfort range.

Shaikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, Dubai, U.A.E.

Dubai was relatively more humid in both seasons, compared to other countries. In terms of comfort conditions, the building performance in summer was better than winter. In winter, temperature and

humidity were almost within the comfort zone. The cooler breeze that was cooling the indoors was due to the presence of the creek nearby. As a result, relative humidity was within the comfort zone. In winter, airflow was almost nil in some spaces which were warmer than the breezier spaces.

Summer had higher airflow in the spaces of all case study buildings. Measurements of temperature and Relative Humidity were within comfort ranges. Comfort survey among the users of the buildings revealed that most of the users were comfortable within the shaded interiors of the buildings, in all four cases. As the survey revealed, only 5% to 10% of the present users preferred air-conditioning in these spaces in summer.

CONCLUSIONS

The traditional wisdom of how to solve architectural problems due to climate lying beneath the various architectural elements was to be unearthed through this research. The paper establishes that the traditional buildings of the hot-dry climate of the Middle East were and are still, able to function as very good examples of sustainable architecture, in terms of passive cooling. The study shows that the hygro-thermal performance in these mud buildings is very good, both in summer and in winter. It points out the various environmental strategies, materials and methods of construction of these buildings in question. Not much has been done in the research of this topic and hence this research is one of the few pioneering researches in Saudi Arabia. It is thus an important step towards rediscovering the traditional architecture of the Middle East from a new angle, the environmental point of view. Modern buildings of these countries are highly dependent on air conditioning that consumes massive amounts of electricity, and nearly 80% of household electricity is used for air conditioning (Taleb & Sharples, 2011).

The traditional strategies could easily be adopted for newer buildings that will help cool passively and thus save energy. The many towns that were sculpted with mud architecture in these places were, and some still are, in a ruined state. The respective governments are now restoring these. These examples of sustainable architecture will thus be sources for academic researches, professional inspiration as well as tourism, for years to come.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Dubai Municipality, Architectural Heritage Program, U.A.E. Dr. Mohammed Nazal & Ameer Abdul Monem, Al-Ahsa Tourism Company, Al-Ahsa, K.S.A. Muhammad Ali Abdullah, Project Designer, Doha Municipality, Qatar Dr. Falah Al-Kubaisy, Ministry of Municipalities Affairs & UN Development Program, Bahrain

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