The Rise and Evolution of Wind Tower Designs in Egypt and the Middle East

Marian A. Nessim, Aya Elshabshiri, Virginia Bassily, Niriman Soliman, Khaled Tarabieh and Sherif Goubran ()
Additional contact information
Marian A. Nessim: Department of Architecture, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
Aya Elshabshiri: Department of Architecture, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
Virginia Bassily: Department of Architecture, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
Niriman Soliman: Department of Architecture, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
Khaled Tarabieh: Department of Architecture, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt
Sherif Goubran: Department of Architecture, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo 11835, Egypt

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-29

Abstract: Throughout history, vernacular architecture has sought to provide inhabitants with comfort, using local materials and techniques while drawing inspiration from the local culture. This goal has helped natural and passive environmental building techniques to emerge, evolve, and develop. Even though we are increasingly dependent on mechanical ventilation and cooling solutions, passive techniques are in favor due to global climate challenges and the drive toward sustainable construction. One of the most well-known passive cooling techniques is the windcatcher, or wind tower, as it is known in the Middle East (also known as a malqaf in Egypt). Windcatchers, which appeared in Egypt during the Pharaonic era, were also present in other vernacular Middle Eastern countries such as Iran and Iraq, and they differed in design and materials. This research aims to extract, analyze, and compare windcatchers throughout historical eras in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries across three main eras: ancient, medieval, and modern. This study thus provides a timeline for developing these passive cooling systems, demonstrating how they were integrated into architecture over millennia. This study also investigates the design differences in these vernacular models, including their shapes, number of sides, and orientation, and correlates them to climatic and architectural conditions. The results highlight that the vernacular wind towers corresponded to the prevailing wind directions and the ventilation needs of the connected spaces. Furthermore, the findings question the effectiveness and appropriateness of some of the modern incorporations of wind towers, which borrow their design from local precedents.

Keywords: wind towers; passive cooling; natural ventilation; Egypt; Middle East; historic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/14/10881/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/14/10881/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:14:p:10881-:d:1191715

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().