Redefining the Traditional Mashrabiya Improving Daylight Performance, Privacy, and Radiant Heating Utilizing Adaptive Diffused Shading in Hot Arid Climate

Abstract

A Buildings' façade is considered to be the skin and the main component covering the structure and the only one having direct interactions between the building’s interior and exterior environment. Not only is the façade known to be the cover element of a building, but it can also be used in today's architecture as a technique to reduce energy consumption in buildings. In recent years, architects and engineers design and install adaptive façades strategically not only for their aesthetic values but also to increase the energy efficiency of buildings. The concept of an adaptive façade can give us the opportunity to interact with the surrounding environment and its variants that include; light, heat, wind, or even with people's culture and privacy. Today Saudi Arabia experiences two major constraints; the culture and the environment. Since the beginning, the indigenous people of the land utilized a device called Mashrabiya that was implemented to achieve privacy for building occupants. At the same time, it was also used to control light and air movement. With the advancement of technology and the need for rapid growth in the country, the identity of these traditional Mashrabiyas has been diminishing. This research will focus on two aspects. First, is an attempt to reinstitute the use of the Mashrabiya and restore its cultural identity. Second, to develop a method of addressing advanced Mashrabiya prototypes that can be utilized in today’s state of the art high-performance design.