Green Facades: Effects on Building Energy Consumption in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Binabid, Jamil . 2017
In recent decades, the population of Saudi Arabia has increased significantly, reaching thirty-two million in July 2016. This proliferation of residents, along with substantial economic growth, has precipitated the construction of numerous new buildings, particularly residential structures. Consequently, post-1940, with the introduction of subdivisions and setbacks, more surfaces were exposed to solar radiation, leading to rising levels of surface heat. With the growing use of air conditioning since the early 1970’s, electrical energy consumption increased, exacerbated by the poor performance of building envelopes, the common use of concrete blocks for construction and, as reported in 2013 by the Saudi Electricity Company, the fact that 70% of buildings are not thermally insulated, all of which contributes to high cooling loads and the increased use of air-conditioning to provide building occupants with the desired level of thermal comfort. In response to this trend, the Saudi government established the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC) in 2014, requiring that all new construction must have insulation. This policy did not, however, address the study of existing buildings in order to adopt appropriate energy-efficiency solutions. Green facades present an important and efficacious approach to meeting this need. The following research focuses on green facade design strategies, which in conjunction with thermal insulation retrofitting can significantly enhance building envelope performance on existing low-rise (one to three floors) single-family home structures in the climate of Jeddah, the second largest city in Saudi Arabia, located in the western area in the most populated province of Mekkah. The city was selected as a case study because the residences require cooling and air-conditioning almost all year-round due to low diurnal temperature variation resulting from low elevation and high humidity. Research methods included an experimental approach to understand how much solar radiation is blocked through green façade. After researching both native and non-native plants, as well as certain vegetation properties provided from previous literature resembling evapotranspiration and thermal conductivity, Bougainvillea Glabra, Clerodendrum Inerme, Ipomoea Pes-Caprae, Jacquemontia Pentantha, and Pentalinon Luteum were chosen as the optimal plants for use in this study. Data collected from existing green façades in Jeddah during the summer season were analyzed for comparison and evaluation. In addition, energy simulation by Energy Plus was used to predict potential cooling and air-conditioning energy savings for buildings in Jeddah in respect to the differences between the types of plants and green façade systems used. Finally, the recommendations on the best design solutions for the climate of Jeddah will be formulated and could be incorporated into the city policies and regulations from SEEC and the Municipality.
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