Alexandria Engineering Journal (2019) 58, 291–301

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Alexandria University

Alexandria Engineering Journal

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SHORT COMMUNICATION

Ecological desert settlement Egypt western desert

Mohamed Mounir Khalifa *, Mohamed Ibrahim Abdelall

University of Alexandria, 23 Abdelmoneam Sanad Street Ibrahimia, Alexandria, Egypt

Received 9 July 2018; revised 1 September 2018; accepted 2 January 2019

Available online 23 January 2019

KEYWORDS Abstract
Ecological;
Nomads; • The Western Desert covers 700,000 km2 and occupies about two-thirds of Egypt’s land
Arid climate; area. It spans from the Mediterranean Sea from north to the Sudanese border at south
Vernacular architecture and from the Nile River east to the Libyan border west.
• The population density of the Nile valley is 1500 persons/km2 while the population density
of the western desert is 5 persons/km2.
• The yearly population growth rate average 2% in 2017. Although Egypt population is 95
million, by 2050 the population will reach 150 million.
• So we should start reclaiming the desert as the Nile valley became over crowded by
inhabitance.
• The tents of passing nomads occupies the desert land which is often considered as a prim-
itive wasteland. Shelter is principle for the life of all human beings as it must adapt to the
living requirements including climate, site conditions and human needs.
• Egypt is one of the solar belt countries which is characterized by arid climatic conditions.
• Ecological settlement is one of the best solutions for reclaiming the desert using natural
resources by the help of digital software named (AUTODESK FLOW DESIGN) (wind
simulation program).
• By using combination between vernacular architecture and high tech architecture the thesis
will introduce a desert settlement proposal in Bahariya oasis.
Ó 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria
University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction Extraction of building materials resources will consume

energy and consequently causes environmental pollution and
Since the last few decades people are getting more concerned lead to the global warming by releasing carbon dioxide emis-
about the risks we are facing due to the global warming and sions. If we don’t do something about this serious matter this
climatic changes. millennium probably will be the last one for human beings on
this planet.
* Corresponding author. Therefore urgent changes are required and regulation mea-
E-mail address: Arch.mohmounir@live.com (M.I. Abdelall). surements are needed to be taken regarding energy saving,
Peer review under responsibility of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria emissions control, production and application of materials.
University.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2019.01.003
1110-0168 Ó 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
292
From buildings design perspective an architectural design
method is developed named Ecological Design or Eco-Design.
Thus architects and building designers can play a major
role in decreasing the amount of carbon footprint released
from the building materials, and that is done by dealing
with their projects through an Ecological and sustainable
approach. Ecological design is rather a mind-set and an
ethical responsibility towards the new generations and the
bio-system than a design method for approaching
sustainability.
Some of the most important natural resources in the desert
is solar and wind power.
2. Research aim
 Reclaiming the desert to overcome crowded population
around the Nile valley by creating an ecological desert
settlement.
 Propose an ecologically designed prototype residential unit
by the help of the settlement case studies.
3. Research question
 How could ecological architecture be a solution for the
reclamation of the desert?
 How could ecological architecture be a way to decrease the
pressure over the Nile valley?
 How could we use the natural resources to create a human
settlement in the desert?
 How to use computer software programs in creating an eco-
logical house unit?
4. Statement of the problem
 Buildings are the largest energy consumers, both in the
developed and developing countries. According to the Uni-
ted Nations Environment Program, building sector
accounts 30–40% of global energy use. The consumption
of energy by buildings is not only during its construction
but also during the period when the building is in use; the
energy used for heating, cooling, lightening, ventilation so
we need to use ecological systems to save energy.
 The Nile valley became overcrowded by people so we
should start reclaiming our desert and create human settle-
ment in the desert where people can live and find their
needs.
4.1. Methodology and design
The scope of this research is the study and analysis of eco-
logical architecture as a significant tool for creating an eco-
logical desert settlement in the Egyptian western desert.
First, collecting data about the western desert oasis and
studying their nature, secondly presenting case studies for
built residential areas that are ecologically designed then sug-
gesting a residential settlement in the western desert in one
of its important nodes (Siwa, elkharga, El dakhla, el baharia,
and elfarafra oasis) by the help of Autodesk Flow design
(wind simulation program). Due to the continuous develop-
M.M. Khalifa, M.I. Abdelall
ment and human needs the consumption of resources has
increased thus the ecological systems is the solution in the
21 century.
4.2. Using technology (autodesk flow design program)
By using architectural software simulation programs we can
design a settlement unit with the best use of natural resources.
Using autodesk flow design which will show us the wind path
around the unit and high or low pressure areas which will
affect the movement of wind.
4.3. Why choosing the western desert?
The Western Desert covers about two-thirds of Egypt’s land
area. Thus, we should get benefit of this large area to decrease
the pressure over the Nile valley. Also the western desert is rich
in natural resources like solar energy & wind energy that can
be used for the renovation of the desert.
The western desert has five important nodes (Siwa,
Baharya, elfarafra, eldakhla and elkharga oasis) that will help
in starting the reclamation of the desert.
4.4. Why choosing ecological architecture?
Due to the lack of artificial resources in the desert. Ecological
architecture is one of the most important solutions for the
reclamation of the desert. Ecological architecture depends
on reducing energy consumption. It depends on the use of
renewable energy resources like solar energy and wind
energy.
5. Ecological design
 Eco-design is the approach of designing built environment
with special consideration for the impact of the design
and the buildings on the planet Earth from an ecological
point of view. It’s about our understanding and percep-
tion towards environmental friendly architecture in both
design process as well as the structure that results from
the design process, use local and sustainable materials,
and develop opportunities for improvements within the
structure.
 The goal of eco-design is sustainability, which simply
means that these products are built, used and discarded in
a way that doesn’t cause a significant threat to the
environment.
5.1. Sustainable design
 Sustainability is approaching built environment through
application of three concepts: cyclic, solar, and safe:
 ‘‘Cyclic” is the production of goods using materials that are
recyclable.
 ‘‘Solar” refers to the products made using renewable
sources of energy.
 ‘‘Safe” manufacturing process and by-products released
into the environment should be nontoxic.
Ecological desert settlement Egypt western desert
6. Methods for achieving sustainable design
1 Economy of resources
Input-reduction methods reduce the flow of non-renewable
resources input to buildings.
By using a low level of waste and proper waste management
output-management methods reduce environmental pollution.
2 Energy conservation
6.1. Passive heating and cooling
Historically, architects have designed building forms that offer
shading in summer and preserve heat in winter. This basic
requirement is frequently ignored in modern building design.
Using the sun’s energy for the heating and cooling of living
spaces is called passive solar design.
6.2. Natural ventilation
Natural ventilation, additionally called passive ventilation,
uses natural outside air motion and pressure differences to cool
and ventilate a building. It may include design techniques like
wind ventilation, the stack effect, and night ventilation.
3 Water conservation
 Reuse water onsite.
 Reduce consumption.
7. Ecological architecture using technology
7.1. Solar power
 Collecting sunlight produces solar power which is converted
into electricity. This is done by using solar panels. It is most
often used in remote areas, although it is becoming more
popular in urban areas also.
 The major advantage of solar power is that it creates no
pollution in the process of generating electricity. Solar
energy is environmentally the most clean and green energy.
It is renewable, clean and sustainable (unlike gas, oil and
coal), and that keeps our environment clean.
 It generates power that has no running costs, as solar radi-
ation is free everywhere. Once installed, there are no costs
after that despite repairing costs.
7.2. Wind power
 Wind energy is produced by the movement of air (wind)
from high pressure areas to low pressure areas and trans-
formed into power for human control. Wind has been uti-
lized as a source of energy for more than a thousand
years, but was substituted by non renewable energy sources
for much of the 20th century. Today, wind is widely used as
a source of electricity and power.
293
 The most familiar type of electricity-producing windmill is
the horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT). Most have three
large blades that turn parallel to their towers, where the pri-
mary rotor and generator are found
7.3. Advantages of using wind energy
 Wind is a clean source of fuel. Turbines, have no emissions
and do not pollute the air.
8. Egypt western desert
 Over 96% of Egypt’s landmass is desert, from the arid
peaks of Sinai and the Eastern Desert to the dunes and
slopes of the Western Desert including the Nile valley in
between.
 The Western Desert covers about two-thirds of Egypt’s
land area. It ranges from the Mediterranean Sea north to
the Sudanese border south and from the Nile River Valley
east to the Libyan fringe (see Fig. 1).
9. Climate
Temperatures differ widely in the desert areas, especially
in summer, where they may range from 7 °C (44.6 °F) at night
to 43 °C (109 °F) during the day. During winter, temperatures
in the desert is low and could reach 0 °C (32 °F) at night (see
Fig. 2).
9.1. Nature of the desert oasis
See Table 1.
10. Settlement case study
10.1. Masdar City
Masdar City vision is to develop a Sustainable City that incor-
porates the highest quality of life with the lowest environmen-
tal footprint.
LOCATION:
 It is Located in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab
Emirates.
 Masdar City is being built 17 kilometres (11 mi) south-east
of the city of Abu Dhabi, adjacent to Abu Dhabi Interna-
tional Airport.
The main components of the Masdar City plan:
1. Orientation: orienting the city grid and buildings to mini-
mize solar heat gain on building walls and the street, while
maximizing night time breezes (see Fig. 3).
The city’s streets have been built to be optimally oriented
on a southwest-northeast axis, thereby providing shading at
294 M.M. Khalifa, M.I. Abdelall

Fig. 1 Western desert location (http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/counprof/egypt/egypt.html).

2. Pedestrian focused: This means narrow shaded streets which

turn and change directions, helps accelerate the air flow. It
helps also the air to be cleaner And provide more shade
while allowing maximum day light.
3. Wind towers

See Fig. 4.

4. Solar photovoltaic

Application (project proposal):

Creating a residential unit proposal that can adapt the
desert arid climate and uses ecological energy resources (see
Fig. 5).
Fig. 2 Western desert climate (http://www.yr.no/place/egypt/ Site proposed:
Al_Wadi_al_Jadid%2FWestern_Desert/statistics.html).

street level throughout the day. The materials used for the  Bahariya oasis is the closest oasis to Cairo 390 km far.
building façades are also designed for cooling purposes.  Bahariya is reachable by car by paved highway in about 4–
5 h from Cairo.
 Proper orientation:  Bahariya is the Oasis which has so far met with the least
modernization. For the visitors who wish to immerse them-
selves in a rural area where most of the daily work is still
performed by hand, this oasis is very impressive.
 Population of Bahariya is distributed on the six main com-
munities: al-Bawiti, Mandishah, al-Qasr, al-Zabw, Mining
-Minimize the solar gains. -Reduce energy consumption.
area and al-Hayz.
-Increase energy efficiency. -Maximize the wind flows.
 Bahariya oasis is connected by a road to Siwa.
Ecological desert settlement Egypt western desert 295

Table 1 Comparison between the 5 oasis in the western desert.

Property Siwa Baharya El farafra El dakhla El kharga
Location 50 km east of the 370 km away from 170 km away from 600 km from the high dam, 480 km from the high
Libyan border, Cairo, 300 km from Bahareya 627 km away 300 km west of the Nile dam, 550 km to the south
560 km from Cairo, Nile(Giza), 1100 km from Cairo, 900 km valley 300 km southeast of of Cairo, 170 km from El
1600 km from the from the high dam from the high dam Farafra oasis dakhla oasis
high dam
Size 80 km in length 94 km long 90 km east west 155 km southeast to 220 km from north to
20 km wide 42 km wide 200 km north south northwest south and comprises the
60 km maximum width whole Southern Egypt
Geology It is a deep It is a lush haven set in The white desert (sahara The main topographic One of the best places in
depression that the midst of the desert el beyda) is the main feature is the scrap which the world, everything you
reaches below sea attraction of it. It has bounds and overlooks the see is a green island in the
level to about 19 m more than 100 wells depression of the oasis on middle of a yellow ocean
spread all over it its northern side of sand

Direction

Fig. 3 Masdar City orientation (source: Global Sustainable
Cities Network).
 Bahariya oasis is connected to El farafra in south direction.
Swot analysis:
See Table 2.
Concept:
The concept depends on the function of the residential unit
and how it deals with the climate of the desert, the proposal
has two inclined directions for its roof one direction will face
the sun consist of the solar panels and the other direction will
face the wind direction used as ventilation.
The proposal is designed to get use of the prevailing wind
and the solar energy incident on the unit all over the day
(see Fig. 6)
Orientation:
Sun diagram: see Fig. 7.
By mimicking Masdar City street orientation axis, The res-
idential unit is oriented north south the solar panels are ori-
ented to face the sun.
Wind diagram:
See Figs. 8 and 9.
Ventilation diagram:
The prevailing wind is the north west wind thus openings
are made facing the north direction to catch wind By mimick-
ing Masdar City street orientation axis.
Due to the heat acquired by the openings facing the sun, the
hot air rises upwards causing the wind to enter the residential
unit through the wind catchers and move outwards through
the perforations facing the sun causing natural air circulation
(see Fig. 10).
By mimicking Masdar City street orientation axis, The resi-
dential unit is designed to resemble in its function the wind
tower since the cool air entering the unit rises upwards through
the perforations by using the solar heat directed from the sun,
causing air circulation and natural ventilation (see Fig. 11).
Courtyard diagram:
The air gets hotter and rises because of the solar radiation
incident in the courtyard. Cool air from the ground level
moves through the openings of rooms surrounding a court-
yard, thus producing wind current (see Fig. 12).
During the evening, the warm roof surfaces get cooled by
convection and radiation. the roof surfaces are inclined
towards the inner yard, the cooled air goes down into the court
and enters the living space through lower openings, gets
warmed up, and leaves the room through higher-level
openings.
296 M.M. Khalifa, M.I. Abdelall

Fig. 4 Masdar City wind tower (source: http://smithgill.com/work/masdar_headquarters/).

The courtyard keeps the house ventilated all over the day
without using mechanical ventilating systems (see Fig. 13).
By using FLOW DESIGN (wind simulation software):
Inputs:

 Air velocity: 7 m/s

 Orientation: northwest-southeast
 Placing wind plan

As the wind reaches the building it rises above the building

and the velocity drops at the impingement point. As the flow
goes above it detaches at the front corner and the flow acceler-
ates producing a low pressure area over the courtyard (see
Figs. 14 and 15).

 Red indicates high velocity and high pressure.

 Blue indicates low velocity and low pressure.

Low pressure area is created over the courtyard and due to

the presence of the louvers over the wind catchers the pressure
increases as the flow hit them creating a high pressure area thus
wind move inside the unit through the wind catchers and
leaves it from the courtyard causing a good and natural air
ventilation (see Fig. 16).
Advantages of the presented proposal:
The inclined form and the building orientation adapts to
the desert climate. One side will face the sun to collect the rays
incident from the sun on the building and the other side will
face the prevailing wind to catch the wind.
The triangular pattern is used to resemble the old Islamic
Fig. 5 Site proposed-Bahariya oasis (source: http://khalifaexpe-
mashrabya, and the colour of the building will be close to
dition.com/program_holiday_in_bahariya.html).
Ecological desert settlement Egypt western desert 297

Table 2 Proposal location swot analysis.

Strengths
 It has easy access from Cairo
through Cairo wahat highway.
 It has good view points for the
green valleys.
 It is connected by el Farafra oasis
which involves a new project for
irrigation.
Weaknesses
 New houses with new materi-
als and shape affect the oasis
shape.
 Absence of awareness for
environmental construction.
Opportunities
 Using the natural contours
can help hiding the new
developments.
 Using solar energy.
 People culture allows for sus-
tainable development.
 Its nature and atmosphere
enables attracting people to
settle.
Threats
 Decreasing the under-
ground water level cause
desertification.
 Danger of sand storms
which could cover impor-
tant traces.

Fig. 6 Settlement proposal. Author design.

Fig. 8 Wind direction. Author design.

2. Life cycle design (which shows the impact of the build-

Fig. 7 Sun path diagram. Author design.
the colour of the sand so that the design wouldn’t be odd in the
Bahariya oasis.
Using solar panels saves a lot of energy and produce electri-
cal energy which is hard to get in the desert.
Choosing the location of Bahariya oasis since this oasis is
known for its lovely green environment and it is connected
to Siwa oasis, Cairo, and El farafra oasis.
Research results:
 Using ecological and sustainable architecture is a must
because our environment has been badly affected by the
improper use of human.
 Sustainable design depends on three main principles which
are:
1. Economy of resources (reducing the usage of non
renewable resources)
ing process on the environment)
3. Human design (interactions between humans and the
natural world)
 Using natural ventilation reduces the use of electricity and
mechanical solutions.
 The lack of water in the desert is one of the important prob-
lems that face the construction in the desert so we can look
through the nature and the surrounding environment for a
solution, we found that by imitating the Namibian beetle we
could catch water from the fog.
 Solar power is a sustainable solution for generating electric-
ity by using solar panels. Since Egypt lies in the solar belt
and it is exposed to a large amount of solar radiation.
 Wind can also produce electricity by using wind turbines.
 We must use clean energy like solar energy and wind energy
to achieve the ecological design without affecting the sur-
rounding environment.
298 M.M. Khalifa, M.I. Abdelall

Benefits & drawbacks:

The environmental benefits of ecological architecture are
significant.

 Ecological architecture protect ecosystems and biodiversity.

 Ecological buildings normally have advanced temperature
control and ventilation, they maximize the use of natural
light.
 Ecological design reduces emissions.

The ecological movement is here to last and as time passes

the benefits of sustainable building will continue to grow.
Although this approach has radical benefits to architecture
and future sustainable building and design, it must be stated
that currently there are a number of obstacles that face this
approach:

 The initial cost for using ecological solutions like solar

power and wind power are very high.
 Building in the desert is very difficult due to lake of services.
Fig. 9 Bahariya oasis wind rose (source: http://diarcheo.archin-  The building needs a certain orientation to get use of the
auti.it/mod/resource/view.php?id=233). solar energy.

 The Egyptian western desert covers about 700,000 km2
about two thirds of Egypt’s land and it has many important
nodes (oases) which can help in the reclamation of the
desert.
 Using courtyard in the building is a good solution for air
ventilation and decreasing the temperature inside the
building.
Future research and development:
 By using ecological architecture design we can create
human settlements that are sustainable, and reduce
energy utilization and it is possible to utilize the environ-
ment to enhance overall energy consumption and quality
of life.

Fig. 10 Ventilation diagram (source: author design).

Fig. 11 Ventilation diagram (source: author design).

Ecological desert settlement Egypt western desert 299

Fig. 12 Daylight courtyard effect (source: author design).

Fig. 13 Night courtyard effect (source: author design).

Fig. 14 Flow design wind velocity diagram.

300 M.M. Khalifa, M.I. Abdelall

Fig. 15 Flow design wind pressure diagram (source: author design).

Fig. 16 Flow design wind velocity diagram (source: author design).

 Connecting the north of the western desert by it south
through its important nodes (Kharga oasis, Dakla oasis,
El farafra, El baharia, Siwa and El salloum) by connecting
these nodes by each other we could create human settle-
ments in the desert and attract people to live in.
 These nodes could be connected by Cairo, Luxor, Aswan
and Libya, this will help creating a human settlement that
will be easy to grow and be a revival artery for the western
desert.
 This project depends on creating a logistic city at El salloum
and another one at Halayeb and Shalateen and connecting
them by each other using a railway station that passes
through the western desert (Siwa, Baharya, Farafra,
Dakhla and El kharga oasis) till it reaches Halayeb and
Shalateen.
 This railway will facilitate the transportation of merchan-
dise from north to south since the transportation by train
is faster than the transportation by ships.
Ecological desert settlement Egypt western desert
Fig. 17 Future development (Egypt revival artery) (source: author design).
 The construction of a railway transportation between the
oases will help in the reclamation of the desert and the rise
of human settlements (see Fig. 17).
Further reading
[1] Adebisi, Assessment of Biomimcry Design Concept Adoption in
Architecture: Towards a Sustainable Built Environment in
Nigeria, IOSR J. Environ. Sci., Toxicol. Food Technol. 9 (4)
(2015).
[2] Gaurish Wagle, Masdar City: Planning a sustainable, smart city-
an integrated approach, in: Municipalika2014-12thInternational
Conference on Emerging Trends in Sustainable Habitat and
Integrated Cities.
[3] Jong-Jin Kim, Sustainable architecture module: introduction to
sustainable design, National Pollution Prevention Center for
Higher Education, 1998.
301
[4] Karwan, Taib Fatah, Architecture, between a design
mythodology and environmental attitude: ECOLOGICAL
DESIGN (Eco-Design), 2012.
[5] Mady A.A. Mohamed, Traditional ways of dealing with climate
in Egypt, The Seventh International Conference of Sustainable
Architecture and Urban Development, The Center for the Study
of Architecture in Arab Region, 2010.
[6] Theocharis Tsoutsos, Environmental impacts from the solar
energy technologies, Energy Policy (2005).
[7] Egypt maps. (http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/
africa/eg.htm).
[8] Egypt western desert. (http://www.fao.org/ag/locusts/en/
activ/survey/1331/index.html).
[9] Hassan fathy work. (http://www.ne.jp/asahi/arc/ind/1_primer/
hassanfathy/fat_eng.htm).