Traditional Building Design Helps Mitigate Heat in the Middle East
For those of us lucky enough to have it, air conditioning can bring sweet relief on a sweltering day. As our climate warms, recent World Bank research indicates that demand for cool air will triple by 2050, when an estimated 5 billion active A/C units will be in use.
Even under today’s current usage rates, air conditioning consumes a major portion of electrical output in many countries, such as the US, where it accounts for 40 percent of energy use during the summer. Global use of air conditioning results in nearly 2 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year, which equates to 4 percent of worldwide carbon emissions. And as air conditioning use increases during the summer, electricity prices are naturally driven upward, putting added pressure on economies already struggling with stubborn inflation.
Naturally, in desert regions with extreme climates—such as the Middle East—air conditioning is even more vital. In the UAE, upwards of 70 percent of electricity is used for A/C. This presents a major sustainability challenge, particularly as global temperatures continue to rise and migratory pressures demand the construction of thousands of new homes in major Middle Eastern cities. Fortunately, there are a number of traditional architectural strategies that can be used to cool buildings naturally, and a number of them come from the Middle East.
As developers look for ways to increase housing supply while mitigating skyrocketing costs and energy consumption, they are increasingly integrating these traditional methods into modern homes—adding to their sustainability, cost-efficiency, and overall appeal.
Harnessing Wind
Ancient Middle Eastern architects understood the value of wind for natural cooling, and how to draw it into homes. Wind towers, or barajeel, cool the air and then channel it downward into lower rooms. In some circumstances, wind towers can lower internal temperatures by as much as 50 degrees F. At the same time, inner courtyards provide an open-air shade option, and can be also be cooled further through the use of wind towers. High domed roofs also provide added shade and enable buildings to cool naturally, as do chases, which are a type of chimney-like structure that can be used on taller buildings.
All of these ancient design principles are easily recognizable and widely used in traditional Middle Eastern architecture, but they have recently been revisited by modern architects who are looking for natural ways to make buildings comfortable and more easily thermoregulated. Even a few degrees gained through design elements such as a wind tower can result in huge cost savings when air conditioning use is reduced by a few percent.
The Cooling Power of Water
Water is another element that was used by ancient architects to cool Middle Eastern cities, and that is once again being explored by modern designers. Just as traditional communities were often built around dry “riverbeds” that would fill with water a few times per year after rains, modern neighborhoods are also being designed in this way. While they are not always green and full of water, these parks provide occasional respite from the oppressive desert heat, particularly when combined with native plants that thrive in the local climate. In addition, these parks trap stormwater and allow it to seep into the ground, rather than rushing off. The water can also be captured in cisterns.
Water can also be used in conjunction with wind towers and other wind-funneling designs, as air that passes over even small bodies of water can benefit from their cooling properties. In addition, ornamental water basins and other designs can add to the aesthetic beauty of buildings when used correctly.
Climate-Appropriate Construction Materials
It should come as no surprise to anyone that metal and other readily conducive materials don’t do well in the desert heat. Rather than using steel and other heat-amplifying materials on building facades, traditional construction materials that reflect heat provide a natural buffer between the hot desert sun and interior rooms. While a lack of infrastructure and experts related to these materials is a limiting factor in North America and Western Europe, the Middle East still has numerous artisans that maintain the traditional skill and know-how necessary to mass-produce stone and mud bricks that change temperature relatively slowly. In addition to their insulator value, these materials also have a smaller carbon footprint associated with their production.
Color is also an important consideration when developing desert structures. As it turns out, there’s a reason that the traditional Middle Eastern buildings popularized in art and media often featured white or light-colored exteriors. Lighter colors reflect sunlight, helping to keep the temperature down, while darker paint and materials do the opposite. Applying this age-old strategy to modern structures is a no-brainer for today’s designers.
Holistic City Planning
Finally, many visitors to traditional desert communities in the Middle East may note the narrow avenues and short distances between buildings. This serves a two-fold purpose: maximizing shade and minimizing time spent outside in the desert heat while moving from place to place. Modern developers and city planners are rediscovering the wisdom of this design principle, and increasingly applying it to new projects. This type of urban planning also has the benefit of reducing the need for a car to get around.
Conclusion
While it is impossible to completely avoid the heat of many areas in the Middle East, there are a number of traditional architectural designs and building strategies that can mitigate it. As the widespread use of air conditioning continues to increase and the price of energy rises, forward-thinking developers can go a long way toward offsetting the cost of desert living, and in doing so establish a more sustainable paradigm for the region’s future.