Principles of Ecological Architecture for Designing Residential Building Facades in Hot and Humid Climates to Lower Indoor Air Temperature Based on Ecological Architecture

Increasing fossil fuel consumption, on the one hand, along with their non-renewable nature, escalating costs, and the destructive environmental and economic effects of energy consumption, on the other hand, increase the need to use passive systems in buildings. One of the effective solutions to reduce energy consumption and consumption of fossil fuels in the building and also to reduce its adverse environmental effects (increasing greenhouse gas emissions) is the use of passive energy. The facade of residential buildings, as the main mediator between indoor and outdoor space, is an important element in controlling sunlight to the interior and reducing energy consumption. Two important strategies to improve the thermal performance of the building facade include shading devices that reduce annual energy consumption and provide better protection against glare. The second solution aims to investigate the effect of heat transfer or heat resistance of materials used in the building facade by controlling the effects of solar radiation and designing the facade under climate conditions, and reducing the heat transfer by choosing the right materials that can reduce the amount of domestic energy demand. The shape of the building, the orientation of the building, its external and internal walls and materials, the thermal insulation of the facade, the dimensions of the window, the ratio of the window to the wall, and the external shading device can be introduced as effective parameters in reducing energy consumption. Improving the performance of building facades is possible through facade materials, shading devices, and window-to-wall ratio structure. It is important to carry out practical investigations into the thermal efficiency of building facades in order to decrease the amount of energy used for cooling and heating buildings, which represents a significant portion of the world’s energy consumption. As a result, an architectural strategy that focuses on morphology (specifically, architectural morphology) should be examined.

In the hot and humid climate of Bushehr, the most significant climatic condition is excessive heat. Therefore, it is crucial to research climate-based solutions that can manage the transmission of undesirable heat and lessen the cooling requirements. This study focuses on exploring the thermal efficiency and the transfer of heat caused by solar radiation through building facades in the hot and humid climate of Bushehr. Additionally, it examines the impact of facade design strategies inspired by Bushehr’s native architecture on decreasing the indoor temperature of the building. The research variables that were examined include wooden shading devices (horizontal, vertical, lattice), porches, deep windows, facade materials, and window-to-wall ratio. Each variable has an effect on various types of energy consumption, such as electricity, heat, heating energy, and cooling, which were analyzed in the study. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between independent and dependent variables and analyze their impact on each other. The study involved simulating each building for all twelve months of the year. This simulation included assessing the amount of solar radiation absorbed by building surfaces, its transfer to the interior, and the resulting cooling load demand. The findings are presented through separate diagrams. In the first step, the behavioral pattern of the building facade with respect to the north-south openness was examined to control and reduce the amount of sunlight received and also to reduce the indoor air temperature subsequently, the study extracted general patterns from indigenous facade components that were related to the structure and function of shading devices, facade materials, and their openings. To understand the historical context of shading devices in Bushehr, the various types of shades present in the buildings of this region were classified, and the different shading solutions used in Bushehr were identified. In line with the purpose of the research, it is necessary to test different types of shading devices as research variables. Then check the type of materials and the dimensions of the openings used in the facades.

To address the research questions, separate simulations were conducted to evaluate the thermal performance of shading devices, window-to-wall ratio, and facade materials in an apartment building. The optimal variable to reduce the cooling load was selected and applied to the building, and its thermal behavior to improve the thermal performance of future buildings in hot and humid climates was studied as the optimal building. The simulation was performed using Design Builder software with Energy Plus simulator engine and Climate Consultant software version 55 and Ashrae thermal comfort model. The findings indicate that the most efficient facade configuration comprises of vertical blinds, lattice windows, and a white cement facade, which resulted in a cooling load reduction of up to 38% and a total load reduction of up to 33% for the building.

The simulation results reveal that the optimal building configuration outperformed both the basic research model and local models on selected days throughout the year, in terms of load testing. This highlights the importance of implementing local solutions in the architecture of hot and humid climates.