Achieving Sustainability Through Façades In MENA

History testifies that mankind has drawn inspiration from nature to find solutions to problems since nature has a ready sophisticated process in place that has been refined over time. While most of the earlier manmade systems could easily be termed as unsustainable owing to the nature of experimentation, natural processes on the other hand embody sustainability principles.

There are many things to resolve design problems and create a more sustainable future. This is at the heart of the biomimetic design approach. Another accepted approach is biodesign which also involves utilizing natural elements within a design. The building façade is a ruefully difficult research area given that it lies at the intersection of living spaces and the natural environment, giving rise to challenges, especially with regard to the three essentials energy-air-water and their transition between the indoors and outdoors. Application of key sustainability concepts in architecture which include energy requirements, form and structure, and sustainability considerations are subject to enhancements and enrichments by taking help from natural processes.

Cutting-edge design principles, materials, and designs in building façades through the lens of biomimetics and bio-design in harmony with the concept of sustainability enable sustainability principles to be at the core of the design problem.

As the global climatic situation worsens, achieving carbon neutrality is now not just a CSR option but a mainstream need. The result is that every industry has to work on achieving CO2 neutrality including architects, environmental firms, and the government all of who are actively pursuing a carbon-neutral approach that is cost-effective and sustainable.

When it comes to sustainable construction, architects have a tremendous responsibility to design buildings that are energy-efficient. Buildings of the future should strive to be sustainable and carbon neutral. The construction industry which contributes to one-third of the carbon emissions are burdened with the responsibility to accept the changes required to transform existing systems and lead from the front when it comes to dramatically reducing carbon footprint. Take green facades for example. Green façades are climbers which include deciduous and evergreen plants, attaching themselves to the elevation of the building or supported through steel cable, mesh and other supporting material. Materials used in sustainable buildings should have minimum heat transfer coefficient and minimal embodied energy during the construction and installation phases along with thermal insulation. Green façades cover all three points mentioned above besides providing aesthetic enhancement. They are vital in promoting cleaner air by removing pollutants. The plants not only assist in cleaning air but also aid in providing cooler temperatures.

The report in Alpin as early as 2021 states, “According to the Global Construction 2025 report, the volume of construction output will grow by more than 70% and will reach an annual worth of $15 trillion worldwide by 2025. It is estimated that there will be 2 billion additional inhabitants, which will increase urbanization.”

A façade is in many ways the face of the building, one that creates an identity for the public would use to describe a specific development; in short, the aesthetics matter. This is also why the new parliament building in Abu Dhabi has a unique aesthetic appeal apart from its sustainable side. The façade of the dome is designed to create a microclimate that will increase the energy efficiency of the project.

According to WFM Media, “An example of sustainable facade design is the building envelope of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, it was created by combining the most recent IT methods and software solutions. The complete free-form envelope is made of thousands of stainless steel tubes bent in three dimensions and was planned in 3D with parameterisation. All phases of the project benefited from the use of a coherent system throughout. This is still the way into the future.”

Given this background, one cannot deny the fact that façades of the future must reckon with the adverse impact of climate change. A high-performance façade takes into account a deeply complex geometry that works in sync with large glass units to allow daylight into the building and prevent solar heat or even moisture. With the help of curved insulated glass units in large formats renovations where large-format panes are used can also create a modern, lightweight and transparent design which is now gaining popularity. For example, in the case of a solar-control coating, we can reduce solar heat gains so that the insulated glass combines aesthetic and functional criteria.

Thomas Spitzer while talking about adaptive facades writes, “Adaptive façade systems can optimise its form in order to react to environmental conditions. Glass used to lead to energy loss, thus the major benefit is to be able to use glass and to control certain conditions at the same time. For example, insulating glass units with an integrated sun protection system protect against sunlight, heat, and noise.” A classic example of an adaptive facade is Butterfly House in Sharjah.

In order to implement a sustainable built environment, there must be a seamless collaboration between designers, construction, and manufacturing teams. The collaboration should not be limited to individual projects but an industry-wide effort has to be made to bring in fundamental changes. Traditional construction that may not have been designed with green principles in mind can proceed with greener alternatives when it’s time for a change or an upgrade, as well as considering the basics such as minimising waste and wastewater. One can easily see this in Abu Dhabi where there is an estimated 24 million square feet of typical Hadidian modernist creation of water droplet-shaped buildings. The most interesting aspect of the project by Zaha Hamid is its adherence to Sikka, the old pathways used by communities in the Middle East to create a shaded passage, and to help funnel wind flow.

Mostafa M.S.AhmedAli, K.Abel-Rahman Ahmed, Hamza H.Ali write, Facades are crucial to energy consumption and comfort in buildings. Incorporating intelligence in their design is an effective way to achieve low-energy buildings. Three strategies are examined: the first is dependent on active systems and element performance, the second implement intelligent passive design strategies only, and the third combines passive design strategies with early integration of active elements. Their impact on energy performance and visual comfort are compared. A design tool that suggests good starting solutions is presented, which takes into account how architects work during conceptual phases.  A classic example here would include the Siemens Middle East Headquarters which is a comfortable blend of traditional design elements, along with parametric analysis to serve a form that is compact and efficient that decreases embodied carbon, and utilizes fewer materials. This project achieved Abu Dhabi’s one of the first LEED platinum ratings

According to Wiggington and Harris, the study of examples of building intelligence showed that the façade was performing up to different functions, which influenced the passage of energy from both external environments to the internal environment and the other way around. The

manipulating functions were identified as the enhancement of daylight (e.g., light shelves/reflectors), the maximization of daylight (e.g. full-height glazing/atria), Protection (e.g. blinds), Insulation (e.g. night-time shutters), Ventilation (e.g. automatic dampers).

It also must work on the collection of heat (e.g., solar collectors), the rejection of heat (e.g., overhangs/brise soleil), the attenuation of sound (e.g., acoustic dampers), the generation of electricity (e.g., photovoltaics) and the exploitation of pressure differentials (e.g.ventilation chimneys).

Research has amply shown that humid climate conditions in a region can allow for substantial benefits of a maximum temperature decrease of 8.4oC with vertical greenery systems in an urban canyon. This is important as the distribution of ambient air in the canyon influences the energy consumption of buildings as higher temperatures increase heat convection to a building and correspondingly increase the cooling capacity.

Samar Sheweka from the British University of Egypt writes, For various reasons, sustainability today is producing an important and interesting approach between architecture and the environment. This is taking place in forms and with different degrees of intensity. Within the challenges of energy crisis and climatic changes, architects started to develop new approaches to address the quest of energy demands in buildings.

Vertical greening can provide a cooling potential on the building surface, which is very important during the sweltering summers. The cooling effect of green facades has also an impact on the inner climate in the building by preventing warming up the façade.