ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 413

Orientation:
“Thus, smaller open spaces, evenly distributed will have a greater cooling effect than a few large
parks. Streets should be oriented to carry cooler air away from parks” (Brown and Dekay 2001:122).
The second important key feature is the system of ventilation used or built by small creatures to
ensure entrance of air and oxygen within their kingdom. It works by air transportation through
the chamber joined by gaps in the mound and short corridors to bring in oxygen into its chambers and its mound material, and to take away carbon dioxide (CO2). As described earlier, the termites orient their mounds to capture the evening sun arrays and the fresh air that passes through.
One of the design objectives was to orientate the block to 30 degrees on the eastern to western
direction. A study has shown that 20-30 degree is optimal and beneficial for summer wind capture
and sun in hot-arid temperature regions. This strategy will become as the leading solution into
solving trapped hot air by the enhancement and by the cool evening air velocity coming from the
Persian Gulf as shown in Figure 19 and as described in Table 1 (Brown and Dekay 2001).

Figure 19: Alternate rotation for hot-arid temperature (Brown and Dekay 2001)

Table 1: Description of rotation effect (Brown and Dekay 2001)
Building Type

Response

Internal Load Buildings

Skin Loaded Buildings

Priority

Priority

Temperature –Arid

Hot-Arid

Summer Wind

Summer & Winter shades

The rotated block will provide more shades to streets and sidewalks. The streets directed to the
prevailing winds, while the system of linear sidewalks and courtyard cut through the block allowing night drainage.
Ventilation:
‘Flow Design’ is built through a wind tunnel simulator that allows envisioning how wind interrelates with a building or assembly of buildings. It allows engineers to swiftly see how air flow and
wind interrelate with their mockups at numerous wind speeds and directions. Thus, it delivers
evaluations for wind velocities. The following simulation provides preliminary results for validation of the undertaking study to demonstrate its performance. Validation of ‘Flow Design’ will
show where wind flows, penetrates, circulates and where it is high and low. Moreover, it shows
approximately where recirculation occurs. The wind airflow is represented as the colored lines
running through.

Sustainability in nature: lessons for yas island housing community in Abu Dhabi

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