Development of a Benchmark Model for Residential Buildings with a Mediterranean Climate: The Aero-Habitat in Algiers City

Asmaa Tellache (), Youcef Lazri, Abdelkader Laafer and Shady Attia ()
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Asmaa Tellache: Sustainable Building Design Lab, Department ArGEnCo, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium
Youcef Lazri: Department of Architecture, University of 08 Mai 1945, Guelma 24000, Algeria
Abdelkader Laafer: LTSM Laboratory, OVAMUS Laboratory, Mechanical Department, Faculty of Technology, Blida 1 University, Blida 9000, Algeria
Shady Attia: Sustainable Building Design Lab, Department ArGEnCo, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Liege, 4000 Liege, Belgium

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-25

Abstract: The problem of maximizing energy efficiency in Algerian residential structures in Mediterranean climates is discussed in this article. The primary issue with North Africa’s residential building stock is the dearth of benchmark models that describe thermal comfort and energy use, which is made worse by high cooling needs and energy poverty. The principal aim of this study is to create a benchmark model that will aid in evaluating the energy performance of the existing system and to suggest a series of actions to improve efficiency and thermal comfort in the future. The technique builds a calibrated model based on a database of 284 Algiers apartments by combining modeling and empirical observations. Based on the observed U-Value wall of 0.43 W/(m 2 K), the average annual energy use for Archetype A is 3.70 kWh/m 2 , and the average annual heating energy use is 13.20 kWh/m 2 . The significance of this model in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability in Mediterranean climates is emphasized in the Conclusion Section. These results contribute to our understanding of the dynamics of building energy in similar global environments and evaluate the thermal comfort and the measurement of CO 2 emissions in this type of building.

Keywords: energy use; thermal comfort; aero-habitat; simulation; Algiers city (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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