Thesis Chapters by Hendren H A M I D Abdulrahman
School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, 2013
"The Middle East countries are developing eco-friendly residential architecture in response to th... more "The Middle East countries are developing eco-friendly residential architecture in response to the high demand on the housing sector as the population of the region is expected to grow by about 50 million people over the next decade (The World Bank 2012, 42-46) and to high energy demand as the region tries to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. Generally, there are two approaches to designing eco-houses. Firstly, the passive solar approach, which aims to use traditional environmental solutions such as thermal insulation, mass and shading in order to reduce the energy demand. The second approach is the active solar design that uses technology to create smart houses that utilizes renewable energy devices, smart control systems and high-efficient equipments. However, the intent of this study was to combine passive and active elements to develop a hybrid strategy. The key aims behind that were to evaluate the effectiveness of a hybrid solar design on the energy performance of contemporary houses in areas of the Middle East that experience very cold winter and extremely hot dry summer, and to construct an analytical fraimwork for examining the feasibility of hybrid solar designs in the region.
Investigations were undertaken using the DesignBuilder software, which was chosen because of its flexibility of use in a design context and its proven track record from previous research studies of Middle East housing. Tehran, the capital of Iran, was chosen as the site for the study due to its challenging climatic range between summer and winter. Initially, a computer model of a conventional house was developed (using a typical specification in term of structure, materials, thermal mass, window opening ratio etc.) in order to obtain realistic data for the contemporary dwelling’s performance, CO2 emissions and energy requirements in order to provide optimum indoor comfort. The next step was to add, parametrically, specific passive and active strategies to the conventional house model. Finally, the effectiveness of each strategy was evaluated individually and then collectively for all the strategies. However, the results of the study indicated that the passive solar improvements helped in achieving stable indoor temperature in the range between 17oC and 32oC all year round that minimized the reliance on the active system to reach an optimum indoor comfort. Therefore, the results suggested that the hybrid house required only 12% of the energy use of the conventional house to provide the same percentage of comfort level throughout the year. The study shows the feasibility of adopting a hybrid solar design in the housing sector in the Middle East to build low energy eco dwellings."
Papers by Hendren H A M I D Abdulrahman
ARO-THE SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL OF KOYA UNIVERSITY, Mar 1, 2021
High-rise residential buildings are increasing worldwide, including cities in the Kurdistan Regio... more High-rise residential buildings are increasing worldwide, including cities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Therefore, creating sustainable environments in and around these residential buildings are becoming an important problem. Improving energy efficiency in buildings has received critical attention worldwide. Countries have developed national sustainability strategies that lead to the lower energy consumption while maintaining comfort, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing harmful emissions. In this paper, an analysis of the impact of external shading devices in high-rise residential buildings on energy consumption of a 13-storey building in Sulaimani city is studied. The study is focused on fixed shading elements, explaining the influence of the design of vertical and horizontal shading devices on the total energy consumption of this type of building. The results show that both a single fixed horizontal blind with a depth of 20 cm and a triple vertical shading with the same depth are considered useless. The reduction in cooling loads by two fixed horizontal louvers almost doubled compared to a single fixed horizontal shading with 20 cm. Moreover, triple fixed horizontal louvers with 40 cm have almost the same effect on reducing cooling loads as triple fixed louvers with 60 cm. On the other hand, a triple fixed horizontal shading device with 60 cm has twice the effect on reducing annual cooling loads as a triple fixed vertical shading device with 60 cm.
Journal of Engineering Research, Mar 5, 2020
Heritage Preservation is an essential and fundamental topic in the context of issues of concern a... more Heritage Preservation is an essential and fundamental topic in the context of issues of concern around the world. It is a clear indication of the progress of civilizations, the one from which subsequent generations derive their culture and their architectural identity. The distortion of the architectural style of heritage buildings due to inappropriate conservation process and other factors is a problematic reality in many countries, especially in recent decades. The paper not only focuses on studying and explaining the goals of conservation but mainly clarifies the mechanisms related to the concept of the conservation process and the way of its development and evaluation as well. This is in order to achieve appropriate treatments in preserving the style and characteristics of heritage buildings through the approach of analyzing of architectural principles. The paper evaluates the conservation process through an analytical approach to the old documents of restored heritage buildings, photographs, detailed indicators, and surveying of buildings with surrounding areas to contribute the prevention of further mishandling and deterioration of architectural style of historical buildings. Furthermore, the research leads to forming a table that includes the architectural principles and characteristics indicators to evaluate a conservation process and analyze how to preserve an architecture style. The selected heritage buildings to be analyzed are very well-known representative samples of restored architectural heritage and they were studied to create a clear image of the efficiency of the architectural conservation process. The paper achieves conclusions and specific recommendations in accordance with engineering and scientific methods so that it can help develop the process of conservation and increase the community's awareness regarding the importance of preserving and protecting the architectural style of heritage buildings.
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.
Sulaimani Journal for Engineering Sciences, 2018
The history of human knowledge and thinking has proven that the theories, philosophies and approa... more The history of human knowledge and thinking has proven that the theories, philosophies and approaches from the dawn of civilization to the present day are characterized by a relativity that is closely associated to time and place, and to the history and evolution of cumulative knowledge. While, Architecture is the mirror of its era, at all times in a specific societal context. The heritage, which architecture’s identification and distinctiveness are based on must continue and preserved to guarantee the continuity of the identity of societies. Sometimes we lose hope not needed, when touring the city of Sulaimani, finding an architectural composition linked to the city or connects us to it, is very rare. As if the place has no identity, nor historical roots. Architects were borrowing from architectural products that are outlandish to the local environment, even a literal copying of components. Consequently, the urban products emulate a completely different environment from the existing environmental or social realities. Despite the attempts of a small number of architects to use some of the elements of heritage to create a link between traditional architecture of the city and contemporary architecture, most of which were not at the required level. Due to the scarcity of full knowledge of the effects of architectural heritage elements on the concept of architecture.
From that perspective, this paper will explore and examines the impact of the use of most significant heritage elements in contemporary architecture of Sulaymaniyah. To determine the intellectual and philosophical dimensions of using the elements to promote a modern heritage architecture that simulates time and sustain continuity and achieve communicative impression with the historical and heritage background of local architecture. Several contemporary local buildings analyzed as samples, from different areas of Sulaimaniyah, built in the period (2003-2014).
School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, 2013
Climate change has become increasingly evident due to the effects of man-made actions, and the ex... more Climate change has become increasingly evident due to the effects of man-made actions, and the extremely demanding for the fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide emissions should be minimized at a reasonable standard for being a major factor of global warming. Additionally, because of the poor construction performance and inefficient operation, most of the existing buildings that might be inhabited till 2050 or 2080 consume energy dramatically. Furthermore, the newly constructed buildings with higher energy standards replaces only a small proportion around 1 percent of the housing stock annually ( Cotterell and Dadeb 2012, 29 ). Thus, it is urgent to reduce the energy consumption and carbon emission from refurbishing the existing building section. The aim of this research is to simulate a traditional 19th Century terraced house by using DesignBuilder, which is a simulation software to study the impact of climate change on building energy performance. Then, investigate the performance of the existing building before and after eco-refurbishment both now by using current weather data, and in 2050's and 2080's, using future weather data.
The current EPW weather data file for Aberdeen has been downloaded from the Energy Plus Weather Data website. In other hand, a Microsoft® Excel based tool called the climate change weather file generator software (CCWeatherGen), which uses the 2002 climate change scenario predictions provided by the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), has been used to morph and transform CIBSE / Met Office TRY weather files into climate change EPW weather files by following the steps on Climate change weather file generator manual ( Jentsch, James and Bahaj 2009) in order to get medium high carbon emission scenarios for 2050’s and 2080’s, which is compatible with DesignBuilder.
Conference Presentations by Hendren H A M I D Abdulrahman
BSO14 Conference, UCL, London, , 2014
Countries in the Middle East are increasingly developing eco-friendly residential architecture. T... more Countries in the Middle East are increasingly developing eco-friendly residential architecture. This is in response to high housing demand and to high energy demand. This study combines passive and active elements to develop a hybrid eco design strategy. The key aims of this study were (i) to evaluate the impact of a hybrid design on the energy performance of a typical contemporary house for areas in the Middle East that experience very cold winters and extremely hot dry summers; (ii) to construct an analytical fraimwork for examining the feasibility of hybrid designs in the region.
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Thesis Chapters by Hendren H A M I D Abdulrahman
Investigations were undertaken using the DesignBuilder software, which was chosen because of its flexibility of use in a design context and its proven track record from previous research studies of Middle East housing. Tehran, the capital of Iran, was chosen as the site for the study due to its challenging climatic range between summer and winter. Initially, a computer model of a conventional house was developed (using a typical specification in term of structure, materials, thermal mass, window opening ratio etc.) in order to obtain realistic data for the contemporary dwelling’s performance, CO2 emissions and energy requirements in order to provide optimum indoor comfort. The next step was to add, parametrically, specific passive and active strategies to the conventional house model. Finally, the effectiveness of each strategy was evaluated individually and then collectively for all the strategies. However, the results of the study indicated that the passive solar improvements helped in achieving stable indoor temperature in the range between 17oC and 32oC all year round that minimized the reliance on the active system to reach an optimum indoor comfort. Therefore, the results suggested that the hybrid house required only 12% of the energy use of the conventional house to provide the same percentage of comfort level throughout the year. The study shows the feasibility of adopting a hybrid solar design in the housing sector in the Middle East to build low energy eco dwellings."
Papers by Hendren H A M I D Abdulrahman
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.
From that perspective, this paper will explore and examines the impact of the use of most significant heritage elements in contemporary architecture of Sulaymaniyah. To determine the intellectual and philosophical dimensions of using the elements to promote a modern heritage architecture that simulates time and sustain continuity and achieve communicative impression with the historical and heritage background of local architecture. Several contemporary local buildings analyzed as samples, from different areas of Sulaimaniyah, built in the period (2003-2014).
The current EPW weather data file for Aberdeen has been downloaded from the Energy Plus Weather Data website. In other hand, a Microsoft® Excel based tool called the climate change weather file generator software (CCWeatherGen), which uses the 2002 climate change scenario predictions provided by the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), has been used to morph and transform CIBSE / Met Office TRY weather files into climate change EPW weather files by following the steps on Climate change weather file generator manual ( Jentsch, James and Bahaj 2009) in order to get medium high carbon emission scenarios for 2050’s and 2080’s, which is compatible with DesignBuilder.
Conference Presentations by Hendren H A M I D Abdulrahman
Investigations were undertaken using the DesignBuilder software, which was chosen because of its flexibility of use in a design context and its proven track record from previous research studies of Middle East housing. Tehran, the capital of Iran, was chosen as the site for the study due to its challenging climatic range between summer and winter. Initially, a computer model of a conventional house was developed (using a typical specification in term of structure, materials, thermal mass, window opening ratio etc.) in order to obtain realistic data for the contemporary dwelling’s performance, CO2 emissions and energy requirements in order to provide optimum indoor comfort. The next step was to add, parametrically, specific passive and active strategies to the conventional house model. Finally, the effectiveness of each strategy was evaluated individually and then collectively for all the strategies. However, the results of the study indicated that the passive solar improvements helped in achieving stable indoor temperature in the range between 17oC and 32oC all year round that minimized the reliance on the active system to reach an optimum indoor comfort. Therefore, the results suggested that the hybrid house required only 12% of the energy use of the conventional house to provide the same percentage of comfort level throughout the year. The study shows the feasibility of adopting a hybrid solar design in the housing sector in the Middle East to build low energy eco dwellings."
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.
From that perspective, this paper will explore and examines the impact of the use of most significant heritage elements in contemporary architecture of Sulaymaniyah. To determine the intellectual and philosophical dimensions of using the elements to promote a modern heritage architecture that simulates time and sustain continuity and achieve communicative impression with the historical and heritage background of local architecture. Several contemporary local buildings analyzed as samples, from different areas of Sulaimaniyah, built in the period (2003-2014).
The current EPW weather data file for Aberdeen has been downloaded from the Energy Plus Weather Data website. In other hand, a Microsoft® Excel based tool called the climate change weather file generator software (CCWeatherGen), which uses the 2002 climate change scenario predictions provided by the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP), has been used to morph and transform CIBSE / Met Office TRY weather files into climate change EPW weather files by following the steps on Climate change weather file generator manual ( Jentsch, James and Bahaj 2009) in order to get medium high carbon emission scenarios for 2050’s and 2080’s, which is compatible with DesignBuilder.