Environment Design Guide - DES 29 Low-Energy Design in the United Arab Emirates--Drivers and Urban Design Principles

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DES 29

Low-Energy Design in the United Arab Emirates–Drivers and Urban Design Principles

Peter St.Clair

Climate responsive design and traditional design elements of the Persian Gulf may provide a basis for low-energy design. Current building models employed in the United Arab Emirates are often unsuited to the region’s climate, causing massive cooling loads as a result of inappropriate site planning, orientation and building envelopes with high levels of glazing. The application of an inter-disciplinary design approach that considers urban design, landscape design, architecture and meteorology may provide a more appropriate low-energy design for such hot and arid climates.

This paper forms the first part of two parts, and is to be read with the companion paper: DES 30 Low-Energy Design in the United Arab Emirates – Building Design Principles

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Keywords: arid climate, climate responsive design, environmental design strategies, low-energy design, UAE, United Arab Emirates