Author(s)

M. A. Haggag

Abstract

Recent developments in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have had consequences on the urban environment. Minimizing the impact of urban development on the natural environment and the trend to improve the ecological performance of buildings are the main concerns of sustainable and low energy building practices in Abu Dhabi. These ideologies have been acknowledged by international architectural firms to designing and constructing new projects that are energy efficient, environmental friendly, and architecturally remarkable. Despite the fact that the UAE is one of the hottest countries in the Gulf region, the use of glazed façades in modern buildings has gained increasing popularity because of the better views, pleasant indoor environment, and the building's prestige. These design approaches usually come with an increased operational cost due to the higher solar gain. This paper investigates the increasing interest in integrating intelligent glass façades into sustainable buildings in the UAE in order to increase energy efficiency by improving thermal comfort and reducing cooling loads; improve occupants’ performance and comfort; and save the environment by minimizing the negative environmental impact. The study investigates typical glazed façade buildings exposed to the UAE environment, to understand the effect of the building skin on the energy demands in a hot climate. To reduce energy uses in buildings, advanced systems, including Double Skin Façade strategies have been tested and integrated into a high performance building. These strategies are to be developed, based on an individual funded research project carried out by the author, and the experience of previous researchers and building users. Keywords: Abu Dhabi, energy efficiency, intelligent glass façade, sustainability.

Keywords

Abu Dhabi, energy efficiency, intelligent glass façade, sustainability