Evaluation of the Integration of the Traditional Architectural Element Mashrabiya into the Ventilation Strategy for Buildings in Hot Climates

Abdullah Abdulhameed Bagasi, John Kaiser Calautit and Abdullah Saeed Karban
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Abdullah Abdulhameed Bagasi: Department of Islamic Architecture, Umm Al-Qura University, P.O. Box 715, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
John Kaiser Calautit: Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Abdullah Saeed Karban: Department of Islamic Architecture, Umm Al-Qura University, P.O. Box 715, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-31

Abstract: This paper reviewed related research works and developments on the traditional architectural element “mashrabiya” focusing on its history, design and structure, typology, and functions in hot climates. Moreover, the paper assessed the effect of the traditional mashrabiya on the indoor thermal environment and thermal comfort in a selected case study building. For this purpose, two similar rooms were investigated in a selected historic building with abundant mashrabiyas located in the Makkah Region, specifically in Old Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The field tests were conducted during a typical hot summer month with two different configurations. The study demonstrated that opening the mashrabiya allowed more airflow into the room during the day and reduced the indoor temperature by up to 2.4 °C as compared to the closed mashrabiya. Besides, the building envelope played an important role in preventing the high fluctuation of the indoor air temperature, where the fluctuation of the rooms air temperature ranged between 2.1 °C and 4.2 °C compared to the outdoor temperature which recorded a fluctuation between 9.4 °C and 16 °C. The data presented here can be used for the future development of the mashrabiya concept and the potential incorporation with passive cooling methods to improve its design according to the requirements of modern buildings in hot climates. Moreover, further studies and tests on mashrabiyas under different climatic conditions are required. Also, the different strategies or materials can be incorporated with mashrabiyas in order to improve its thermal performance.

Keywords: mashrabiya; roshan; thermal performance; thermal mass; passive ventilation; thermal comfort; daylight; indoor thermal environment; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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