Optimising daylight performance in Mzab Houses: enhancing window and courtyard areas in Algeria’s hot climate
Contenu
- Titre
- Optimising daylight performance in Mzab Houses: enhancing window and courtyard areas in Algeria’s hot climate
- Sujet
- Architecture -- Mzab
- Résumé
- Traditional M’zab houses in hot, arid climates utilise compact courtyards and small windows for privacy and thermal comfort, but this limits daylight penetration. Despite prior studies, no simulation-based quantitative analysis has been conducted to improve this balance in M’zab dwellings. This study fills that gap by conducting the first M’zab-specific daylight-thermal parametric analysis using DesignBuilder, focusing on three representative plans in Ghardaïa, Algeria, under peak July conditions. The analysis examines the effects of varying WWRs (25–100%) and courtyard size (∼1.5 × 1.5 m to 3 × 5 m) across four orientations. Results show that south-facing glazing provides the most daylight but increases cooling demand and solar gains. East-west window enlargements improve daylight slightly but worsen cooling due to higher solar exposure. Enlarging the courtyard boosts daylight by up to 75% while maintaining thermal comfort. The study recommends courtyard enlargement, shaded south glazing, and avoiding east–west window increases for climate-responsive renovations in hot-arid regions.
- Est une partie de
- Ain Shams Engineering Journal
- Editeur
- Ain Shams University
- Couverture spatiale
- Cairo
- Date
- 2026
- volume
- 17
- numéro
- 6
- pages
- 104-171
- Titre abrégé
- Ain Shams Engineering Journal
- Optimising daylight performance in Mzab Houses
- doi
- 10.1016/j.asej.2026.104171
- issn
- 2090-4479
- Langue
- eng
- Source
- ScienceDirect
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