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NOUR. Daylighting and thermal effects of windows in desert houses

Abstract

This study is on a combined effect of window, the daylighting and the thermal effects, in desert houses. It is comprised of two complementary studies. In the introduction a historical review on the development of using daylight has been carried out in order to place the case study in a historical perspective. The first study is comprehensive and contains two main parts. In the first part a study was carried out on the people and history of the town of Ghardaia in Southern Algeria. This was done in order to understand the architectural form of that region. The second part is experimental and consists of two field studies carried out in Ghardaia. Their aim was to investigate the influence of daylight and temperature on the use of residential houses. This investigation included both traditional and 'modern' houses, the modern having relatively large windows similar to those of the northern part of Algeria, the traditional ones having small or no windows. The second study is also experimental consisting of computer parametric studies on window design from two standpoints, namely daylighting level and thermal effects of windows in desert houses. A typical traditional house is described as it was observed. Then the  More>>
Authors:
Publication Date:
Jul 01, 1999
Product Type:
Thesis/Dissertation
Report Number:
LUTADL-TAA3-1009
Reference Number:
EDB-01:050327
Resource Relation:
Other Information: TH: Thesis (TeknD); 99 refs, 170 figs, 14 tabs; PBD: 1999
Subject:
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; THERMAL INSULATION; WINDOWS; HOUSES; DESERTS; DAYLIGHTING; THERMAL COMFORT; EXPERIMENTAL DATA
OSTI ID:
20147035
Research Organizations:
Lund Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Architecture and Development Studies
Country of Origin:
Sweden
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ISSN 1103-6508; ISBN 91-973743-2-8; TRN: SE0107136
Availability:
Available to ETDE participating countries only(see www.etde.org); commercial reproduction prohibited; OSTI as DE20147035
Submitting Site:
SWD
Size:
235 pages
Announcement Date:
Jun 20, 2001

Citation Formats

Ouahrani, Djamel. NOUR. Daylighting and thermal effects of windows in desert houses. Sweden: N. p., 1999. Web.
Ouahrani, Djamel. NOUR. Daylighting and thermal effects of windows in desert houses. Sweden.
Ouahrani, Djamel. 1999. "NOUR. Daylighting and thermal effects of windows in desert houses." Sweden.
@misc{etde_20147035,
title = {NOUR. Daylighting and thermal effects of windows in desert houses}
author = {Ouahrani, Djamel}
abstractNote = {This study is on a combined effect of window, the daylighting and the thermal effects, in desert houses. It is comprised of two complementary studies. In the introduction a historical review on the development of using daylight has been carried out in order to place the case study in a historical perspective. The first study is comprehensive and contains two main parts. In the first part a study was carried out on the people and history of the town of Ghardaia in Southern Algeria. This was done in order to understand the architectural form of that region. The second part is experimental and consists of two field studies carried out in Ghardaia. Their aim was to investigate the influence of daylight and temperature on the use of residential houses. This investigation included both traditional and 'modern' houses, the modern having relatively large windows similar to those of the northern part of Algeria, the traditional ones having small or no windows. The second study is also experimental consisting of computer parametric studies on window design from two standpoints, namely daylighting level and thermal effects of windows in desert houses. A typical traditional house is described as it was observed. Then the recorded light values are presented and commented upon. In the second part, three types of modern houses observed in the field studies are presented and compared to the traditional archetype. The comparison especially dwells on the relative effectiveness of the two systems of daylighting. In the third part, focusing on various issues of lighting, the results of interviews with the inhabitants are presented. The historical studies indicate that the process of housing development, in several respects, has reached a certain quality (social, technology, and adaptation to climate) appropriate to the local original context, but that development has slowed down. The results of the lighting study indicate that the use of more windows in modern houses constitutes a true improvement of daylighting level rather than a fashion. Especially for new activities such as reading and using modern kitchen equipment, the lighting in traditional houses is not adequate. Only the courtyard receives enough daylight, but it is not uniformly distributed and the activities are therefore located according to their visual demands. The daylighting in modern houses, on the other hand, allows a larger number of activities to take place in different spaces. Most studies on design of passive buildings recommend the location of windows on the south facade because of the ease of passive solar control during summer and optimum solar gain during winter. However, in the urban reality, a house could be oriented to the east, west or north, depending on the constraints of the site. Recommendations for the design of windows with these orientations are scarce. The thermal and daylighting studies indicate that it is possible to have windows to the east or west orientations with still acceptable thermal and daylighting effects as long as they comply with the following recommendations: * For a south orientation, the absolute surfaces and the fenestration should be in the medium to high range, * For an east orientation, the absolute surfaces and the fenestration should be in the medium range, * For an orientation to the west, similar recommendations may be appropriate, albeit with more carefully designed solar shading, since the probability for overheating will be higher, and * For a north orientation, the absolute surfaces and the fenestration should be in the medium to high range. As a device to control eventual glare from opposite walls, solar shading, such as light coloured curtains, are recommended.}
place = {Sweden}
year = {1999}
month = {Jul}
}