Papers by Ahmed Q A D I R Ahmed
Buildings, 2024
Since the establishment of the Kurdistan Region Autonomy in 1991, extensive construction, includi... more Since the establishment of the Kurdistan Region Autonomy in 1991, extensive construction, including that of mosques, has reshaped the architectural environment. This phenomenon requires an examination of the evolved architectural features in new mosques and also raises questions about their alignment with the religious and symbolic objectives of mosque designs. This study focuses on the transformative impact of modern architectural styles on mosque evolution in Sulaymaniyah and uses an in-depth case study approach to analyze 23 contemporary mosques built over the past three decades. They blend traditional architecture with modern design principles, producing evolved features. The evolution in mosque designs raises questions about the alignment of new architectural features with the religious and symbolic objectives of mosque designs. This study employs indicator-based impact assessments to examine how modern features affect mosque evolution in terms of religious needs and mosque symbolism. Based on the literature of modern architecture and Islamic legitimacy, indicators of modern architecture and mosque design objectives were determined for further analysis. Then, the collected data from the field survey were analyzed through developed formulas. The results were converted to numerical values for use with the Pearson correlation coefficient, which identifies the causal relationship between modern architecture and design objectives. The results revealed that the overall influence of modern architecture on mosque evolution tends to be negative. Modern architectural styles have impacted mosques by increasing structural obstructions in 14%, reducing symbolic elements in 23%, and simplifying designs with fewer embellishments in 43% of all the cases. This study can assist decision-makers and designers in revising mosque design regulations; the issue has recently been the subject of ongoing debate in architects’ society.
Sulaimani Journal for Engineering Sciences, Apr 1, 2019
Iwan, also Eyvan, is strongly associated with the architecture of the Middle East. It has been wi... more Iwan, also Eyvan, is strongly associated with the architecture of the Middle East. It has been widely used as a space to serve different purposes in various types of traditional buildings such as mosques, palaces, and houses. This study focuses on the environmental aspects of iwan. The research investigates the effects of changing the exposure degrees of iwan on its insolation within traditional houses in Sulaymaniyah’s old town.
Both EnergyPlus and Google SketchUp programs were used to make a 3D model and perform energy simulation analysing for a typical building with iwan in different proportions, similar to what exists in the region. Furthermore, weather data of Sulaymaniyah (latitude 36°) is used in the simulation process.
Several main geometrical variables are affecting the exposure degrees of iwan in Sulaymaniyah:
- Firstly, the length and depth of the space change in different houses whereas the height is almost constant, the same as the building’s height, which equals to 3m.
- Secondly, the orientation of the iwan, which is usually facing southeast, south, southwest, and both east and west, considered in the simulations and the results obtained separately for each orientation.
There is no doubt that in hot seasons, shading is preferable. Whereas, in cold seasons, receiving more solar irradiation is desirable. Based on the results, iwan’s solar performance improves whenever its width is decreased compared to its depth. In addition, the results show that the iwan’s orientation affects significantly on its solar performance, as those facing towards south have better performance, meanwhile, those facing north have it the worst. Furthermore, changing the depth to width ratio for those facing east and west does not seem to affect their solar performance noticeably. Moreover, the results examine to what extend iwan can be used in buildings as a climatic responsive design strategy in Sulaymaniyah.
Keywords: Iwan, Eyvan, Solar performance, Solar incident, Insolation, Exposure degree, Traditional buildings, Sulaymaniyah.
This paper presents a study of the effects of building form on the received solar irradiance by c... more This paper presents a study of the effects of building form on the received solar irradiance by courtyards and atria in different latitudes. Ecotect program is used to model and simulate certain courtyard and atrium building forms. The four main orientations (south, west, north and east) were considered in the simulations and results were obtained separately for each orientation. Weather data in four different cities on four different latitudes (0°, 20°, 40° and 60°) were used in the simulations. The results show that the effects of building form on solar performance of courtyard and atrium vary according to orientation and latitude. In high latitudes, the amount of received solar radiation increases significantly when the tilt angle of the roof increases especially in south orientation and in winter; whereas, this increment is not considered in low latitudes.
Both courtyard and atrium are widely used in buildings for different purposes. This study explore... more Both courtyard and atrium are widely used in buildings for different purposes. This study explores the effects of the both transitional spaces on building energy performance in different climates. It presents the results of EnergyPlus modelling and simulations for typical courtyard and atrium buildings in five different climates which are hot-dry, hot-humid, temperate, continental and cold-arid climates. The discussion of the results, which are mainly annual heating and cooling energy consumptions of both building types, give the answer of the research question. The question is which one of courtyard and atrium is more energy conscious in different climates. It is found that courtyard buildings are more suitable for hot climates and atrium buildings are more appropriate for temperate and continental climates. Regarding to the cold-arid climates, both building types can be used by considering required actions to enhance their performance.
Over the last decades, one of the most important aspects in architecture was passive solar design... more Over the last decades, one of the most important aspects in architecture was passive solar design especially in cold climates. Todays, many architects use passive solar strategies in their designs in order to increase passive heat gains, and as a result, decreasing heating energy demand. This report is based on a required individual report for Solar Architecture for Different Regions which is a module of MSc Renewable Energy and Architecture course. It has been carried out on presenting, analysing and explaining an individual solar housing retrofitting project for a residential area in Nottingham in the UK which has a temperate climate.
Thesis Chapters by Ahmed Q A D I R Ahmed
This study investigates the effects of changing the enclosure and exposure degrees of courtyards ... more This study investigates the effects of changing the enclosure and exposure degrees of courtyards and atria buildings on their solar performance in different latitudes. EnergyPlus and Ecotect programs are used to model and simulate certain innovative forms of courtyards and atria buildings. The main geometrical variables, which are varied to change the exposure degrees of the forms, are the tilt angle of the building roof as well as the open ratio of the courtyards and glazing ratio of the atria. The four main orientations (south, west, north and east) are considered in simulations and results are obtained separately for each orientation. Moreover, weather data in four different cities on four different latitudes (0°, 20°, 40° and 60°) in northern hemisphere are used in the simulations. The results show that the effects of changing the exposure degree of the building forms on their solar performance vary according to orientations and latitudes. In high latitudes, the amount of received solar irradiation raises significantly especially in south orientation when the exposure degree of a form increases due to the roof‟s tilt angle or open ratio of the form. Whereas, in low latitudes the increase in the received irradiation is not considered and even in equator may decrease.
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Papers by Ahmed Q A D I R Ahmed
Both EnergyPlus and Google SketchUp programs were used to make a 3D model and perform energy simulation analysing for a typical building with iwan in different proportions, similar to what exists in the region. Furthermore, weather data of Sulaymaniyah (latitude 36°) is used in the simulation process.
Several main geometrical variables are affecting the exposure degrees of iwan in Sulaymaniyah:
- Firstly, the length and depth of the space change in different houses whereas the height is almost constant, the same as the building’s height, which equals to 3m.
- Secondly, the orientation of the iwan, which is usually facing southeast, south, southwest, and both east and west, considered in the simulations and the results obtained separately for each orientation.
There is no doubt that in hot seasons, shading is preferable. Whereas, in cold seasons, receiving more solar irradiation is desirable. Based on the results, iwan’s solar performance improves whenever its width is decreased compared to its depth. In addition, the results show that the iwan’s orientation affects significantly on its solar performance, as those facing towards south have better performance, meanwhile, those facing north have it the worst. Furthermore, changing the depth to width ratio for those facing east and west does not seem to affect their solar performance noticeably. Moreover, the results examine to what extend iwan can be used in buildings as a climatic responsive design strategy in Sulaymaniyah.
Keywords: Iwan, Eyvan, Solar performance, Solar incident, Insolation, Exposure degree, Traditional buildings, Sulaymaniyah.
Thesis Chapters by Ahmed Q A D I R Ahmed
Both EnergyPlus and Google SketchUp programs were used to make a 3D model and perform energy simulation analysing for a typical building with iwan in different proportions, similar to what exists in the region. Furthermore, weather data of Sulaymaniyah (latitude 36°) is used in the simulation process.
Several main geometrical variables are affecting the exposure degrees of iwan in Sulaymaniyah:
- Firstly, the length and depth of the space change in different houses whereas the height is almost constant, the same as the building’s height, which equals to 3m.
- Secondly, the orientation of the iwan, which is usually facing southeast, south, southwest, and both east and west, considered in the simulations and the results obtained separately for each orientation.
There is no doubt that in hot seasons, shading is preferable. Whereas, in cold seasons, receiving more solar irradiation is desirable. Based on the results, iwan’s solar performance improves whenever its width is decreased compared to its depth. In addition, the results show that the iwan’s orientation affects significantly on its solar performance, as those facing towards south have better performance, meanwhile, those facing north have it the worst. Furthermore, changing the depth to width ratio for those facing east and west does not seem to affect their solar performance noticeably. Moreover, the results examine to what extend iwan can be used in buildings as a climatic responsive design strategy in Sulaymaniyah.
Keywords: Iwan, Eyvan, Solar performance, Solar incident, Insolation, Exposure degree, Traditional buildings, Sulaymaniyah.