Develop an Energy Efficient Campus Building

that Outperforms the Existing Structure Using

Energy Modeling/Optimization Software

Item Type text; Electronic Thesis

Authors Barnawi, Khader Z.

Publisher The University of Arizona.

Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material

is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona.
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Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/622896

DEVELOP AN ENERGY EFFICIENT CAMPUS BUILDING THAT OUTPERFORMS THE
EXISTING STRUCTURE USING ENERGY MODELING/OPTIMIZATION SOFTWARE
by

Khader Z. Barnawi

____________________________
Copyright © Khader Barnawi 2016

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

In the Graduate College

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

2016
 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR

The thesis titled Develop an Energy Efficient Campus Building That Outperforms the
Existing Structure Using Energy Modeling/Optimization Software prepared by Khader Z.
Barnawi has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for a master’s degree at the
University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to
borrowers under rules of the Library.

Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided
that an accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for
extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be
granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in
his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all
other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author.

SIGNED: Khader Z. Barnawi

APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR

This thesis has been approved on the date shown below:

__________
Dr. Nader Chalfoun, Ph.D., LEED AP, CEA 12.7.2016
Professor of Architecture and Program Chair

2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ 4
2 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ 7
3 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 8
3.1 Description of the existing building ............................................................................... 10
3.2 Location .......................................................................................................................... 13
3.3 Climate analyses ............................................................................................................. 17
3.4 Deficiencies of the existing building .............................................................................. 22
3.4.1 Building Orientation ............................................................................................... 23
3.4.2 Shading ................................................................................................................... 24
3.4.3 Natural Lighting ...................................................................................................... 24
3.4.4 Natural Ventilation.................................................................................................. 25
4 CASES STUDY .................................................................................................................... 26
4.1 First case Environment and Natural Resources Building 2............................................ 26
4.2 Second case College of Medicine .................................................................................. 29
4.3 Third case DPR Construction......................................................................................... 31
5 DESIGN PROPOSAL .......................................................................................................... 34
5.1 Energy efficient design strategies .................................................................................. 41
5.1.1 Building Orientation ............................................................................................... 41
5.1.2 Shading ................................................................................................................... 43
5.1.3 Daylight................................................................................................................... 45
5.1.4 Natural Ventilation & Courtyard Microclimate ...................................................... 49
5.1.5 Building Envelope .................................................................................................. 52
6 ENERGY SIMULATION & OUTCOMES ......................................................................... 55
7 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 60
8 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 61

3
1 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Master plan of Taibah University (GAP 2016) ................................................................ 9

Figure 2 the Completed part of phase 1 (googlemaps 2016) ........................................................ 10
Figure 3 the selected building on site (googlemaps 2016) ........................................................... 11
Figure 4 Main Entrance (GAP 2016) ............................................................................................ 11
Figure 5 Emergency Exits (GAP 2016) ........................................................................................ 11
Figure 6 Main Entrance Lobby (GAP 2016) ................................................................................ 11
Figure 7 Corridors (GAP 2016) .................................................................................................... 11
Figure 8 Ground floor plan (GAP 2016)....................................................................................... 12
Figure 9 First floor plan (GAP 2016) ........................................................................................... 12
Figure 10 North west elevation (GAP 2016) ................................................................................ 13
Figure 11 North east elevation (GAP 2016) ................................................................................. 13
Figure 12 South west elevation (GAP 2016) ................................................................................ 13
Figure 13 South east elevation (GAP 2016) ................................................................................. 13
Figure 14 location of Saudi Arabia (googlemaps 2016) ............................................................... 14
Figure 15 Yanbu City’s location in Medina Province (googlemaps 2016) .................................. 14
Figure 16 the university campus location in Yanbu (googlemaps 2016) ..................................... 15
Figure 17 the temporary buildings location in the campus layout (googlemaps 2016) ................ 16
Figure 18 Site of the temporary campus-buildings (googlemaps 2016) ....................................... 16
Figure 19 world map of Köppen-Geiger climate classification (Kottek 2006) ............................ 17
Figure 20 Temperature range in Yanbu (UCLA 2016) ................................................................ 18
Figure 21 Sky cover range (UCLA 2016)..................................................................................... 19
Figure 22 Average wind speed (UCLA 2016) .............................................................................. 20
Figure 23 Wind-direction annual (Römer 1999-2016) ................................................................. 20
Figure 24 Sun shading chart June 21 to December 21 (UCLA 2016) .......................................... 21
Figure 25 Sun shading chart December 21 to June 21 (UCLA 2016) .......................................... 22
Figure 26 Plan view of the existing building shows the buildings orientation (googlemaps 2016)
....................................................................................................................................................... 23
Figure 27 the facade of the existing building shows all the windows without shading device
(Barnawi 2016) ............................................................................................................................. 24
Figure 28 the ‫ا‬all inside the college building shows the natural lighting distribution (Barnawi
2016) ............................................................................................................................................. 25
Figure 29 inoperable window’s in the building envelope does not allow natural ventilation
(Barnawi 2016) ............................................................................................................................. 25
Figure 30 South facade of Environment and Natural Resources Building 2 (Barnawi 2016) ...... 26
Figure 31 site plan of Environment and Natural Resources Building 2 (Barnawi 2016) ............. 27
Figure 32 The courtyard view of Environment and Natural Resources Building 2 (Barnawi 2016)
....................................................................................................................................................... 28
Figure 33 The courtyard view of Environment and Natural Resources Building 2 (Barnawi 2016)
....................................................................................................................................................... 28
Figure 34 The raised floor system used in the balding (Barnawi 2016) ....................................... 28
Figure 35 diagram show the raised floor system (Barnawi 2016) ................................................ 28
Figure 36 south east view of the College of medicine building (Barnawi 2016) ......................... 29
Figure 37 West Facade October 4, 2014 5:24 PM (Barnawi 2016).............................................. 29

4
Figure 38 East Facade October 4, 2014 5:27 PM (Barnawi 2016) ............................................... 29
Figure 39 South Facade October 4, 2014 5:17 PM (Barnawi 2016) ............................................ 29
Figure 40 North Facade October 4, 2014 5:33 PM (Barnawi 2016) ............................................ 29
Figure 41 diagram of the horizontal overhang used in the south facade (Barnawi 2016) ............ 30
Figure 42 diagram of the vertical fins used in the north facade (Barnawi 2016) ......................... 31
Figure 43 DPR Construction east façade (Barnawi 2016) ............................................................ 32
Figure 44 DPR Construction office area (Barnawi 2016) ............................................................ 32
Figure 45 The solar tube in the office area (Barnawi 2016) ......................................................... 33
Figure 46 Diagram show the solar tube (Barnawi 2016) .............................................................. 33
Figure 47 The solar tube in the meeting room (Barnawi 2016) .................................................... 33
Figure 48 The microclimate in front of the east facade (Barnawi 2016) ...................................... 34
Figure 49 Diagram of the tower shower & the chimney (Barnawi 2016) .................................... 34
Figure 50 North facade of the design proposal | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Barnawi
2016) ............................................................................................................................................. 34
Figure 51 Site plan (Barnawi 2016) .............................................................................................. 35
Figure 52 1st floor Plan (Barnawi 2016) ...................................................................................... 36
Figure 53 2nd floor Plan (Barnawi 2016) ..................................................................................... 36
Figure 54 North elevation -East elevation (Barnawi 2016) .......................................................... 37
Figure 55 South elevation -West elevation (Barnawi 2016) ......................................................... 37
Figure 56 Perspective of the south facade | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Barnawi 2016) 37
Figure 57 Perspective of the east side | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Barnawi 2016) ...... 37
Figure 58 Perspective of the main entrance | simulation time 6/30/2016 9:00 AM (Barnawi 2016)
....................................................................................................................................................... 38
Figure 59 Perspective of the main lobby | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Barnawi 2016) .. 38
Figure 60 Perspective of central porch 2nd floor | simulation time 6/1/2016 4:00 PM (Barnawi
2016) ............................................................................................................................................. 39
Figure 61 Perspective of central porch 1st floor | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Barnawi
2016) ............................................................................................................................................. 39
Figure 62 Perspective of courtyard 1st floor | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Barnawi 2016)
....................................................................................................................................................... 40
Figure 63 Perspective of courtyard 2nd floor | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Barnawi
2016) ............................................................................................................................................. 41
Figure 64 Latest Master Plan (GAP 2016) ................................................................................... 42
Figure 65 First Master Plan Proposal (GAP 2016) ....................................................................... 42
Figure 66 The selected master plan as better alternative for the right orientation (Barnawi 2016)
....................................................................................................................................................... 42
Figure 67 Orientation of the proposed design (Barnawi 2016) .................................................... 43
Figure 68 South profile angel at 9:00 AM March 21 2016 (Barnawi 2016) ................................ 44
Figure 69 South profile angel at 3:00 PM March 21 2016 (Barnawi 2016) ................................. 44
Figure 70 South Horizontal overhang dimensions (Barnawi 2016) ............................................. 44
Figure 71 North Vertical Fins dimensions (Barnawi 2016).......................................................... 44
Figure 72 Simulation of the north façade shading at 6/21/2016 8:00 AM (Barnawi 2016) ........ 45
Figure 73 Simulation of the north façade shading at 6/21/2016 5:00 PM (Barnawi 2016) .......... 45
Figure 74 Simulation of the south façade shading at 3/21/2016 9:00 AM (Barnawi 2016) ......... 45
Figure 75 Simulation of the south façade shading at 3/21/2016 3:00 PM (Barnawi 2016) .......... 45
Figure 76 Revit daylight simulation 1st floor Plan (Barnawi 2016) ............................................. 46

5
Figure 77 Revit daylight simulation 2nd floor Plan (Barnawi 2016) ........................................... 47
Figure 78 Section diagram of light borrowing (Barnawi 2016) ................................................... 48
Figure 79 Section diagram of solar tube (Barnawi 2016) ............................................................. 48
Figure 80 Section diagram of sky light (Barnawi 2016)............................................................... 49
Figure 81 Diagrams of wind driven ventilation (Passive) (Barnawi 2016) .................................. 50
Figure 82 Section diagram of hybrid ventilation (Barnawi 2016) ................................................ 50
Figure 83 Section diagram of stack effect ventilation (Barnawi 2016) ........................................ 51
Figure 84 Section diagram of night ventilation (Barnawi 2016) .................................................. 52
Figure 85 pictures shows the different treatment of the building envelope (Barnawi 2016) ....... 53
Figure 86 Roof shading & cool roof (Barnawi 2016) ................................................................... 53
Figure 87 Diagram of the wall & roof section (Barnawi 2016) .................................................... 54
Figure 88 diagram of high mass in summer (Barnawi 2016) ....................................................... 55
Figure 89 Building Schedule used in eQUEST (Barnawi 2016) .................................................. 56
Figure 90 Simulation result for the existing building (DOE) 2016) ............................................. 57
Figure 91 Simulation result for the design proposal (DOE) 2016) ............................................... 58
Figure 92 Electric consumption chart (Barnawi 2016) ................................................................. 59

6
2 ABSTRACT
This study is going to investigate the energy performance of a temporary building on

campus and analyze it thoroughly to identify the trends on energy consumption. Then, it is going

to select the best strategy that can improve its performance in this region. Next, a prototype

design of a high energy performance building is going to be proposed to the university

authorities to be constructed in the permanent campus in the second phase and, identify a list of

the best strategies that are more appropriate for the climate of the city. Finely, a comparative

study is going to be conducted by using energy analyses software (eQUEST) to find out the

annual saving of the proposed design over the existing building.

7
3 INTRODUCTION
In a world that demands energy resources increasingly to expand human activity and the

consequence of this practice are rising, there is an awareness for a responsible practice and the

need for an advanced conservation effort to reduce the carbon foot print. The obligation and the

commitment to this path began to rise in a country like Saudi Arabia in the last decade to reduce

the over consumption of an unsustainable resource of the country and secure it for the next

generation as well as build reliable infrastructure that can work with future energy recourses like

solar and wind energy.

The new Taibah University’s campus in Yanbu City is going to be one of the major

influential projects in this city. The university campus needs to be an exemplary monument

because it will be the development driver for the city. As energy consumption is the issue of our

time, the university needs to take the lead to contribute to the community and show them a life

example on the best practice of designing and constructing an energy efficient project. Therefore,

constructing energy efficient campus buildings in the new land that the city gave to the

university to build its branch is going to be one of the pay back fulfillments for the community of

Yanbu.

Taibah University is planning to divide the construction of the new branch into two

phases (Fig 1). The first phase is to build a temporary building in the new campus site to

accommodate the constantly increasing numbers of students each year and this part of the plan is

under construction in the time of writing this thesis (Fig 2). The final phase is the construction of

the rest of the permanent buildings of the university (GAP 2016).

8
 Phase 1

Phase 2

Figure 1 Master plan of Taibah University (GAP 2016)

9
Figure 2 the Completed part of phase 1 (googlemaps 2016)

3.1 Description of the existing building

All the buildings in the phase 1 did not design for a specific college so they designed as

universal college that have classes and labs and offices. The selected building for this study is a

two floor building with a gross area of 71800.17 square feet and its construction type is on site

cast concrete for the skeleton and precast for the façade. The building is free standing and the

front façade faces north west (Fig 3).

10
Figure 3 the selected building on site (googlemaps 2016)

Figure 4 Main Entrance (GAP 2016) Figure 5 Emergency Exits (GAP 2016)

Figure 6 Main Entrance Lobby (GAP 2016) Figure 7 Corridors (GAP 2016)

11
Figure 8 Ground floor plan (GAP 2016)

Figure 9 First floor plan (GAP 2016)

12
Figure 10 North west elevation (GAP 2016)

Figure 11 North east elevation (GAP 2016) Figure 12 South west elevation (GAP 2016)

Figure 13 South east elevation (GAP 2016)

3.2 Location

Yanbu is a coastal city in the province of Medina, Saudi Arabia (Fig 14-15). And it is

considered as medium city with population of 299,526 people as well as the second largest city

in the province (GAS 2010).

13
Figure 14 location of Saudi Arabia (googlemaps 2016)

Figure 15 Yanbu City’s location in Medina Province (googlemaps 2016)

14
 The university’s new campus is in the north of the city surrounded by Yanbu Bay (Fig

16). A temporary building is under construction right now and it is located where the services

building going to be according to the master plan of the university (Fig 17-18).

Figure 16 the university campus location in Yanbu (googlemaps 2016)

15
Figure 17 the temporary buildings location in the campus layout (googlemaps 2016)

Figure 18 Site of the temporary campus-buildings (googlemaps 2016)

16
3.3 Climate analyses

Yanbu climate is considered as desert climate. Virtually no rainfall throughout the year.

Köppen-Geiger climate classified Yanbu climate as BWh (Hot desert climates) (Fig 19). 26.5 °C

is the annual average temperature in Yanbu. 91 mm is the average rainfall in a year (CLIMATE-

DATA n.d.).

Figure 19 world map of Köppen-Geiger climate classification (Kottek 2006)

More analyzed climate’s information provided by climate consultant (computer software)

using weather file for Yanbu city that produced by the U.S Department of Energy (U.S.DOE). It

is a graphical based information that helps designers to understand the climate condition of

certain areas in the world. This research is going to study some of the climate information in

order to understand the energy consumption trend of the building on the site.

17
 The average temperature of the city is above the thermal comfort zone from April to

October where the temperature swings between 82°-91°F. However, the average temperature is

under the thermal comfort zone only in January where it goes down to 69°F. This information

emphasizes that heating is not required and not even necessary to reach the thermal comfort zone

(Fig 20).

82°86°89°92°91°89°85°

69°

Figure 20 Temperature range in Yanbu (UCLA 2016)

The sky is clear most of the year, so shading is needed to protect the building from the direct sun

radiation and to reduce the heat gain inside the building. It also helps to reduce the energy used

to cool down the space (Fig 21).

18
Figure 21 Sky cover range (UCLA 2016)

The wind’s speed annual average is 9 mph which is considered 3 in Beaufort scale and

described as a (Gentle breeze) where the leaves and small twigs constantly moving, light flags

extended (Fig 22). Therefore, that particular average speed of the wind is suitable for natural

ventilation (RMetS n.d.).

19
 9mph

Figure 22 Average wind speed (UCLA 2016)

Wind direction information collected from Yanbu Airport (January 2000 - December

2008) displays that the prevalent wind is coming from the west most of the year (Römer 1999-

2016) (Fig 23).

N 3%
NE 6%
E 8%
SE 5%
S 4%
SW 19 %
W 48 %
NW 7%
Figure 23 Wind-direction annual (Römer 1999-2016)

20
 This sun shading chart informs the designer about the time range when shading is needed

the most (Fig 24). The red lines in the chart show the specific time of the day when shading is

necessary, while the yellow lines indicate the time when no shades are needed. The blue lines

indicate that the sun needs to be entered to the space as passive solar is desired to heat the space.

Figure 24 Sun shading chart June 21 to December 21 (UCLA 2016)

In Yanbu city buildings need to be shaded from March to September and from 9am to

3pm where the sun is hot and direct. That helps to reduce the heat gain inside the building.

21
Figure 25 Sun shading chart December 21 to June 21 (UCLA 2016)

3.4 Deficiencies of the existing building

The temporary buildings constructed without any attention to the energy factor because the

focuses were on the construction time as these buildings need to be completed and operated in

short time. By applying the regional climate analysis to the existing building, some performance

deficiencies can be observed simply by looking at the building.

22
3.4.1 Building Orientation

The temporary buildings does not follow the best orientation as the long facad oriented to

face northwest.It is supposed to face north/south becouse the shading profile angle for the north

and south façade is more calculable. Orientation is considered one of the most important

strategies that can greatly contribute to the best design practice in reducing the heat gain inside

the building. That going to assest the designers in calculating the shading for the south and north

facad more accuretly. Moreover, a building that is correctly oriented would be helpful to design

façade that is able to receive maximum daylight without raining heat from the direct sun

radiation.

Figure 26 Plan view of the existing building shows the buildings orientation (googlemaps 2016)

23
3.4.2 Shading

As the climate analysis displays, the building does need shading for nine months a year,

six hours a day. However, those building’s windows shown in the pictures are not shaded at all

which increase the heat gain inside the building. Because windows have less R value than any

other part of the building envelope, shading is considered one of the most important factors in

reducing the heat gain inside the building.

Figure 27 the facade of the existing building shows all the windows without shading device (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

3.4.3 Natural Lighting

The building’s opening is less efficient in capturing natural lighting which makes the

users more dependent on artificial light. Maximizing of natural lighting density is important to

reduce the energy consumption. The clear sky of Yanbu city provides a significant opportunity

for the designer to illuminate the spaces in side buildings using daylight in order to achieve

greater energy saving.

24
Figure 28 the ‫ا‬all inside the college building shows the natural lighting distribution (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

3.4.4 Natural Ventilation

Most conventional building of the area designed to relay on mechanical ventilation and this

building follows the trend. Natural ventilation is an important strategy that helps the building to

sustain the thermal comfort zone by capturing the external air when its temperature is

appropriate. Using night ventilation to ventilate the building instead of the mechanical system is

going to reduce energy consumption.

Figure 29 inoperable window’s in the building envelope does not allow natural ventilation (Photo by Barnawi
2016)

25
4 CASES STUDY
This research will study several cases that are all oriented to be energy efficient buildings.

Furthermore, the focus will be on analyzing the energy efficient strategies that are used to

improve the performance of these cases.

4.1 First case Environment and Natural Resources Building 2

This building was designed by Richard+Bauer for the University of Arizona which is

located in the north of Tucson’s campus. The building consists of 6 floors. The building designed

to achieve LEED platinum. The architect inspired in designing this building by the slot canyon.

It also considered as one of the most efficient buildings in the campus.

Figure 30 South facade of Environment and Natural Resources Building 2 (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

26
 By designing a courtyard in the middle of the building, the designer succeeded in making

most of the building facades to face north and south direction. Because they considered the best

façades to provide natural lighting with a proper shading to the internal space, the designer can

put more windows in the North/south façade. However, west and east façade are exposed to the

sun from an angle that hard to be shaded so placing windows in these façades is less desired.

Figure 31 site plan of Environment and Natural Resources Building 2 (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

The other successful strategy the designer used in this building is including a unique

microclimate in the court yard. He allowed the court yard to be ventilated by funneling the air

from the openings around the stairs at the east and west sides. The designer made most of the

spaces of the building adjacent to the north and south façade where they can easily receive

daylight.

27
Figure 32 The courtyard view of Environment and Natural Resources Building 2 (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 33 The courtyard view of Environment and Natural Resources Building 2 (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 34 The raised floor system used in the balding (Photo by Figure 35 diagram show the raised floor system
Barnawi 2016) (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

28
4.2 Second case College of Medicine

Figure 36 south east view of the College of medicine building (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

CO architects designed the college of medicine building shown in for the University of

Arizona and Northern Arizona University which is located downtown phoenix, AZ. It designed

in response to the local climate with intent to reduce energy consumption and to target

LEED/NC certification.

Figure 37 West Facade October 4, 2014 5:24 PM (Photo by Figure 38 East Facade October 4, 2014 5:27 PM (Photo by
Barnawi 2016) Barnawi 2016)

Figure 39 South Facade October 4, 2014 5:17 PM (Photo by Figure 40 North Facade October 4, 2014 5:33 PM (Photo by
Barnawi 2016) Barnawi 2016)

29
 One of the significant strategies used in the building envelope is applying a second skin

for its façade where it creates an air cavity between the two facades to slow down the heat

transferring into the internal space. Moreover, the designer succeeded in designing the shading

device for the north and south façade.

Figure 41 diagram of the horizontal overhang used in the south facade (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

This diagram explains how the over hand shading on the south façade prevents the direct

sun radiation during the summer season from entering the space and allows it to enter the space

in the winter. The shading device also works as light shelf to spread the light deeply into the

space.

30
Figure 42 diagram of the vertical fins used in the north facade (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

This diagram clarifies how using vertical fins in the north façade protects the windows

from the sun radiation at the early morning and late afternoon in the summer.

4.3 Third case DPR Construction

This building designed by Smith Group JJR for the DPR Construction and located at

Phoenix, Arizona. This building outstands by achieving net zero energy as the building is

consuming as much energy as they produce from the solar panel that is mounted in the parking

lots.

31
Figure 43 DPR Construction east façade (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

One strategy used is making the east and north façade windows operable so they can

naturally ventilate the office area when the outside air is on the thermal comfort zone. In addition

to that, the office area is covered by several Big Ass Fan to move the air around.

Figure 44 DPR Construction office area (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

32
 Another strategy that used in this building is the solar tube that covers a bigger area of the

offices by natural daylight.

Figure 45 The solar tube in the office area Figure 46 Diagram show the Figure 47 The solar tube in the meeting
(Photo by Barnawi 2016) solar tube (Photo by Barnawi room (Photo by Barnawi 2016)
2016)

The shower tower that use the evaporative cooling system added to this building to cool

down the air is one of the best strategies that takes advantage of the climate condition of the

region, as the climate in Phoenix is hot and arid. The microclimate that is created in front of the

east façade keeps the body of the shower tower cool throughout the day which improves its

performance. Another strategy used in the building is the chimney on the roof that uses the stuck

effect to drive out the hot air while the cool air provided from the shower tower replaces its

place.

33
 Figure 48 The microclimate in front of the east facade (Photo by Figure 49 Diagram of the tower shower & the chimney
Barnawi 2016) (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

The diagram above in shows how the shower tower and the chimney work together to

move the air inside the office area as the shower tower provides a cool air to the space and the

chimney takes out the hot air from the space.

5 DESIGN PROPOSAL
In this part of the research I will propose an alternative design that makes energy

conservation strategy one of the important aspects that influence the design process. This

proposal will be presented to the university authority as a prototype design from an energy

consultant. The goal of this proposal is helping the university designers to understand the best

ways to implement these energy strategies in the permanent university buildings in the future.

Figure 50 North facade of the design proposal | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

34
 The proposal based on the temporary building as it is a two floor building with a similar

growth area. This will help to make comparison in the energy consumption of the two building

by using energy simulation software.

The pictures from (Fig 53) to (Fig 65) show the architectural drawing and the 3D views.

Figure 51 Site plan (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

35
Figure 52 1st floor Plan (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 53 2nd floor Plan (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

36
Figure 54 North elevation -East elevation (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 55 South elevation -West elevation (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 56 Perspective of the south facade | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 57 Perspective of the east side | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

37
Figure 58 Perspective of the main entrance | simulation time 6/30/2016 9:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 59 Perspective of the main lobby | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

38
Figure 60 Perspective of central porch 2nd floor | simulation time 6/1/2016 4:00 PM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 61 Perspective of central porch 1st floor | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

39
Figure 62 Perspective of courtyard 1st floor | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

40
Figure 63 Perspective of courtyard 2nd floor | simulation time 6/1/2016 8:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

5.1 Energy efficient design strategies

This part of the research explains in detail some of energy efficient design strategies used

in the building to improve its performance over the existing ones.

5.1.1 Building Orientation

I found that the first master plan proposal has a higher opportunity to orient all the

building of the campus to the right direction. However, the current master plan where the

temporary building based on has many difficulties in accommodating the right direction.

Therefore, the proposed design is based on the first master plan.

41
 Figure 64 Latest Master Plan (GAP 2016) Figure 65 First Master Plan Proposal (GAP 2016)

The proposed design located at the northeast of the campus site and the building slightly

rotated to the right orientation.

Figure 66 The selected master plan as better alternative for the right orientation (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

The long side of the building oriented along with the west\east access to take advantage

of the sun illumination. Also the building is divided into two parts by the courtyard in the middle

to provide a larger façade area that faces the north and south.

42
Figure 67 Orientation of the proposed design (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

5.1.2 Shading

Shading is considered as a one of the most important strategies for Yanbu city because

the building is exposed to the direct sun radiation throughout the year. It is greatly effective in

reducing the heat gain inside the building. It also helps the air condition to serve with high

efficiency. Additionally, the right orientation of the building is going to be helpful in simulating

the profile angel of the shading in a computer software such as Autodesk Revit (Fig 68).

43
 Figure 68 South profile angel at 9:00 AM March 21 2016 Figure 69 South profile angel at 3:00 PM March 21 2016
(Photo by Barnawi 2016) (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

By using the sun simulation tool in Revit, we can calculate the depth of the shading

device to shade the windows from 9am to 3pm every day from March through September.

Figure 70 South Horizontal overhang dimensions (Photo by Figure 71 North Vertical Fins dimensions (Photo by Barnawi
Barnawi 2016) 2016)

44
 The sun path too in Revit used to simulate the shading coverage of the north and south

windows of the building. In the north façade vertical fins are used to shade the windows that hit

the façade in the early morning and the light afternoon in the summer. The simulation time was

in the 21 of June 8:00 AM and 5:00PM. On the other hand, the south façade is shaded by

horizontal overhang to shade the windows from the sun most of the day when the sun heat

reaches its peak. The simulation time for the south facade was in the 21of march at 9:00 AM to

3:00PM

Figure 72 Simulation of the north façade shading at Figure 73 Simulation of the north façade shading at
6/21/2016 8:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016) 6/21/2016 5:00 PM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 74 Simulation of the south façade shading at Figure 75 Simulation of the south façade shading at
3/21/2016 9:00 AM (Photo by Barnawi 2016) 3/21/2016 3:00 PM (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

5.1.3 Daylight

By providing a daylight to the spaces in the building, the need for artificial light

will be reduced. This proposal designed to accommodate as much daylight as possible

through the north and south façade by using large shaded windows in those areas.

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 Moreover, on the south façade light shelve used to distribute deeper lights into the

building. Using the plugin of the light analysis for Revit help to identify the area that is

covered by the daylight. While some spaces that are not covered, several strategies

suggested in this study to cover these spaces by daylight.

Figure 76 Revit daylight simulation 1st floor Plan (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

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Figure 77 Revit daylight simulation 2nd floor Plan (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

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 From the light analysis, some classrooms and corridors that are located in the middle of

the building had a little amount of the day light, so the coming pictures from (Fig 76) to (Fig 77)

explain the suggested strategies.

Figure 78 Section diagram of light borrowing (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

This diagram explains one way to provide daylight to the middle space that use clearstory

windows to borrow light from the adjacent spaces. Similarly, it clarifies how the shelf light helps

in providing the light into the inner space (Fig78).

Figure 79 Section diagram of solar tube (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

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 This diagram describes another strategy where sun-tube used to provide the daylight for
the upper and lower floors (Fig79).

Figure 80 Section diagram of sky light (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

The diagram in (Fig 80) gives an idea about how the sky light can be implemented to

provide the daylight to the upper floor, and by using a glass block in the middle floor the light

that comes from the skylight can reach the lower floor.

5.1.4 Natural Ventilation & Courtyard Microclimate

Natural ventilation is a strategy that helps to reduce the time of the operation of the air

condition and it reduces the energy consumption that is used to cool the spaces. From the

temperature range of Yanbu city, it appears that night ventilation is possible during most of the

months in the year. As the average low temperature is mostly in the comfort zone, so it is

possible to use the outside air to cooldown the building. The air condition would work only

through the day and could be replaced by the night ventilation at night.

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Figure 81 Diagrams of wind driven ventilation (Passive) (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

This diagram shows the wind driven ventilation for the courtyard and also explains how

the wind catcher helps to maintain the wind speed through the courtyard (Fig81).

Figure 82 Section diagram of hybrid ventilation (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

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 This diagram explains how the wind catcher juxtapose with the Big Ass Fan can move

the air into the courtyard when there is no wind as hybrid ventilation (Fig82).

Figure 83 Section diagram of stack effect ventilation (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

The diagram above explains how the wind catcher and the roof of the main lobby can

displace the hot air from the space while a cool air provided from under the floor (Fig83). by

increasing the contact time of the air to the water surface as well as the ground’s contact time,

the air will cool down to a level where it becomes suitable to be supplied into the main lobby and

the cool air lake under the wind catcher. That strategy used in the main lobby as an alternative

for the mechanical system which can significantly reduce the energy consumption of the

building.

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Figure 84 Section diagram of night ventilation (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

This diagram explains how the building operable opening can use the thermal discharge

strategy to ventilate the spaces (Fig 84). It is designed to use the stuck effect to ventilate the

space by the outside air if the outside air is within or below the desired temperature. However, if

the outside air is above the desired temperature, the spaces can be ventilated by the mechanical

system.

5.1.5 Building Envelope

The envelope of the building is designed to keep most of the heat outside the building by

using several remarkable strategies. One of the strategies that stand out is designing the east and

west façade with unapparent windows and using a double skin façade (Fig 85). The other

strategy is using cool-roofing system on the roof as well as shading the roof in order to reduce

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the heat gain from the sun radiation. However, most of the building envelopes painted with light

colors to reflect larger amount of the sun radiation.

Figure 85 pictures shows the different treatment of the building envelope (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

Figure 86 Roof shading & cool roof (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

This picture shows the roof shading and the possibility of using PV panel instead of

regular shading, which helps to produce energy on site. As the building designed to consume less

amount of energy, it is possible to provide PV panel that can equalize the consumption and the

production of the energy and take the project to net zero energy level.
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Figure 87 Diagram of the wall & roof section (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

This diagram underlines the usage of radiant barrier inside the air cavity reflect the

indirect radiation away from the building (Fig87). A similar strategy can be used in the roof by

using raised floor system to make an air cavity if there is no shading on the roof.

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Figure 88 diagram of high mass in summer (Photo by Barnawi 2016)

This diagram shows how the thermal mass in the summer stores the internal heat

throughout the day and releases it back at night where the natural ventilation takes the heat out of

the building (Fig 88).

6 ENERGY SIMULATION & OUTCOMES

In this part of the research, eQUEST (an energy analysis software) is used to simulate the

performance of the existing building and the proposed design ((JJH) 2009). It also identified the

difference in energy consumption between the two buildings. The schedule below presents all the

building’s inputs into the simulation program and the difference between the two buildings (Fig

89).

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 The existing building The design proposal
Area
Conditioned floor Area 72,773 69723
Estimated shell- wide gross 14.35% 40.5%
floor-to-floor % windows

Windows shading
Window (S) None Hz Overhang 3.80 ft.
Window (N) None Vertical Fins 1.60 ft.
Window (W/E) None No windows
Daylighting controls None 1 sensor / 30% Light
Insulation
Roof R-18 R-35
Wall non R-21
Windows Single Clear U=1.03 Double Low-E e3=.4 Clear
SHGC=0.82
Doors Double Low-E e2=.04 Tint Double Low-E e3=.4 Clear
Thermal Mass 8 in. HW Concrete 12 in. CMU
Short-wave reflectance
Roof 0.4 0.6
Wall 0.4 0.4
Mechanical
Cooling Source DX Coils DX Coils
Heating Source None None
Thermostat Heat = 70°F Cool = 76°F Heat =70°F Cool = 76°F
Thermostat Setbacks Heat = 70°F Cool = 76°F Heat = 64°F Cool = 86°F
Economizer None DB Temperature 78.0°F
Figure 89 Building Schedule used in eQUEST (table by Barnawi 2016)

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 The next figure displays the results of the simulation of the existing building. It shows as

well how the module of the existing building is simulated in the software (Fig 90).

Figure 90 Simulation result for the existing building ((JJH) 2009)

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 (Fig 91) displays the results of the simulation of the existing building and clarifies how

the module of the designed building is simulated in the software.

Figure 91 Simulation result for the design proposal ((JJH) 2009)

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 The chart in (figure 92) shows the difference in the annual electric consumption in the

two buildings. By calculating the result of the simulation, we can find that the energy

consumption saving over the existing building is 32.66%.

ELECTRIC CONSUMPTION
Electric consumption

1000 967.88

900
800
700 651.8
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Existing building Design proposal
Figure 92 Electric consumption chart (Chart by Barnawi 2016)

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7 CONCLUSION
In this research the focus mostly was on design strategies rather than technical strategies,

as design strategies are proven to be more cost effective than technical solutions. There are more

strategies that can be applied to the building to improve its performance.

This research is conducted to advice Taibah University to improve the design of the

permanent building to meet the future need for better design practice. That put in consideration

the performance of the building in term of energy consumption. It is considered as one of the

most important aspect that affect the maintenance and the operation’s costs throughout the

lifecycle of the building. In this proposed design, the saving of the annual energy consumption

over the existing building is more than 30%, and that is only for one building in the campus.

If we applied the saving percent to the annual electricity bill of the university, that would reduce

the annual budget of the university by thousands Saudi Riyals.

Moreover, that if these strategies that used in the designed proposal and more applied into

the permanent building design in the future is not only would help reducing the energy

consumption of those building, but also it would improve the experience for the users inside the

building as the daylight is much better alternative of the artificial light. Natural ventilation in any

form helps to replace the internal air in faster rate and discharges the contaminated air from the

building, that result in improving the health of the building’s users. Another benefit of the energy

efficient strategies is providing a microclimate outside the building envelope, such as the

courtyard in the middle of the proposed building, where this creates a suitable spot for people to

gather outside the building.

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(JJH), James J. Hirsch & Associates. 2009. "eQUEST 3.65 (computer software)." the QUick

Energy Simulation Tool. http://doe2.com/equest/index.html.

CLIMATE-DATA. n.d. CLIMATE-DATA.ORG. Accessed 2010. http://en.climate-

data.org/location/991855/.

GAP, General Administration of projects. 2016. Taibah University.

https://taibahu.edu.sa/Pages/EN/Sector/Sectors.aspx.

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