Understanding Abu Dhabi’s Climate and Its Impact on Design
Abu Dhabi, classified as a subtropical desert under the Köppen-Geiger system, enjoys sunny blue skies year-round. However, its climate presents significant challenges due to extreme seasonal variations in temperature, humidity, and solar radiation.
Key Climate Features
- Hot and Cold Seasons: The region experiences a hot season with temperatures soaring to 40-50°C, a mild cold season with lows of 10-15°C, and short transitional periods in between.
- Humidity Trends: There is an inverse relationship between temperature and humidity, with high temperatures correlating to low humidity and vice versa.
- Solar Radiation: Southern orientations receive intense solar radiation, particularly during the hot season, leading to increased thermal stress, while northern exposures see reduced harm.
Wind Patterns
The prevailing winds are from the northwest, with moderate wind speeds observed throughout the year. Winds are slightly stronger during the summer months, providing some relief from the heat.
Design Strategies for Climate Adaptation
To mitigate the harsh climate, vernacular design strategies include:
- Shading at both building and urban scales.
- Use of traditional materials with low albedo.
- Features like colonnades, courtyards, and vegetation (native species).
By integrating these strategies, designs in Abu Dhabi can create more sustainable and comfortable environments while addressing the challenges posed by its unique climate.
Optimizing Design for Abu Dhabi’s Extreme Climate: Insights and Strategies
Incident Radiation and Sunlight
- Seasonal Variations: Summer sees higher radiation peaks, while winter experiences lower but more uniform levels.
- Layout Impact: Exploring different layouts increased incident radiation by up to 10%.
- Surface Exposure: Surfaces receiving less than two hours of sunlight comprised 22% in July and 27% in January.
- Window Performance: Smaller windows (0.5m) offered more daylight hours than larger ones (1.5m), both in summer (5.7 vs. 3.88 hours) and winter (4 vs. 2.94 hours).
Shading and Material Choices
- Sky View Optimization: Smaller shading offsets improved sky view by 60%, balancing daylight and incident radiation.
- Vegetation as Shade: 20 trees optimally balanced UTCI improvement and tree count, with diminishing returns from additional trees.
- Material Selection: Brick pavers emerged as the top choice for UTCI performance and environmental sustainability.
Thermal Comfort and Energy Demand
- Comfort Zone: Comfortable conditions are restricted to the cold season.
- Cooling Needs: The degree day analysis shows a year-round demand for cooling, peaking from May to September.
- Thermal Stress: The UTCI heatmap indicates high thermal stress during summer midday hours, with cooler conditions prevailing in winter.
Wind Analysis and Comfort
- Wind Scenarios: Three configurations were tested—keeping the base layout, misaligning the passage, and fully opening it. The base layout provided the best wind comfort with an average score of 2.72.
- Advanced Wind Studies: Additional analyses covered vertical wind effects, turbulence, and façade interactions, ensuring comprehensive insights.
Computational Optimization
- Tools and Techniques: Infrared.city and Galapagos optimization algorithms helped refine designs, such as rotating towers to shield public spaces from prevailing winds.
Workflow for Climate-Responsive Design
A replicable process was established:
- Data Collection: Analyze climate conditions to inform initial designs.
- Preliminary Evaluations: Assess solar gains, photovoltaic potential, shading, and daylight access.
- Outdoor Analysis: Study thermal comfort, wind comfort, and turbulence.
- Material Testing: Select optimal materials based on thermal and environmental performance.
- Iterative Refinement: Balance results across metrics to achieve optimized, climate-responsive designs.
This iterative workflow enables informed decisions at every design stage, ensuring comfort and sustainability in Abu Dhabi’s challenging climate.
