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Sharjah - 'Green' mosques in UAE

Monday, 10 August 2009 22:02

Often-used public structures such as mosques generally tend to be liberal in their use of water and electricity and require significant extra energy to keep them functional.
However, students from the School of Architecture and Design (SA&D) department at American University of Sharjah (AUS) are determined to change that. Along with SA&D associate professor of architecture Dr Ahmad Mokhtar, they have been working on innovative plans to design "green" mosques.

"I wanted my students to understand that architectural design can significantly impact the resource consumption of a building. I also wanted them to see how energy-saving strategies as generators can be used in innovative architectural forms," explained Mokhtar.

He said designing a green mosque gave students the opportunity to apply the fundamentals and strategies of energy-efficient design in a relatively simple building - "one they see in every corner of the city. Most of them experience its use regularly".

The students selected a virtual site at the carbon-neutral Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. This also helped them recognise the concepts behind such model cities. The students were then challenged to come up with a design that aims to use no electricity from the grid. Mokhtar said they analysed Abu Dhabi's weather data using computer software and decided on appropriate design strategies that fit the two distinct climatic seasons of the city: winter with cool to temperate conditions, and summer with hot and humid conditions.

The strategies included large openings that encourage natural ventilation during the winter season, as well use of the minaret for wind capture. Roofs were built to maximise the capture of solar energy with solar collectors that run absorption chillers during the summer.

"The initial design phase was tricky, as it was a new approach to us," said Najeeb Ghyas, a third-year architecture student. "However, as we progressed through the project and started to put the environmental factors to use, many formal opportunities were created. In the end, each group had an innovative sustainable design.

The inclusion of solar panels, wind towers, geothermal cooling, shading devices, wind turbines and natural ventilation really enhanced our designs and allowed us to perceive design differently," Ghyas added.

Daniel Dias, also a third-year architecture student, said the project was focused on developing a mosque within the constraints of green design.

"It was not simply just putting in an environmental control system, but also designing how these systems could be integrated into a programme of a mosque. For example, we decided to make the minaret have an opening that faced a direction that allowed for ventilation. Many of these systems had to be integrated functionally and aesthetically, which was a real challenge, and the overall outcome was quite successful."

Global Arab Network

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