Assessing daylighting performance of a traditional residential neighbourhood in historical Cairo

Elkadi, HA; Al Maiyah, S

Abstract

Traditional dwellings located in the hot arid zones of the Arabian regions are well known for their sensitive
architectural response to the region’s climatic conditions and socio-cultural norms. The majority of these dwellings
are well recognized for their courtyard arrangement and perforated fenestration system that evolved to control the
harsh solar, climatic conditions without compromising the aesthetic quality of space and occupants’ wellbeing. The
unique visual characteristics of these structures cannot be fully appreciated by assessing the visual performance of
buildings in isolation from their urban context given the fact that much of the character of the traditional settlements of this region came from the collective visual perception of their architectural components as well as urban patterns. This paper presents a methodology that can be used to assess daylight behaviour at an architectural level as well as at an urban scale. The work examines the daylight behaviour of a well-known historic alleyway and of a courtyard house in the old city of Cairo. The variability in the visual perception and comfort for a typical pedestrian street and the occupants of the house was predicted using Radiance IES simulation modelling tool and a scaled model under an artificial sky dome. A comparative analysis between simulated results and measured values at target points was conducted and the results reveal a reasonable agreement with the simulation results. Preliminary results from the first phase of modeling are presented that give an insight into the overall visual experience in the traditional settlements in the Old City of Cairo where daylight has contributed to the place unique sense of identity.

Citation

Elkadi, H., & Al Maiyah, S. (2011, November). Assessing daylighting performance of a traditional residential neighbourhood in historical Cairo. Presented at International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) 17th General Assembly Scientific Symposium, Paris, France

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) 17th General Assembly Scientific Symposium
• Conference Location: Paris, France
• Start Date: Nov 27, 2011
• End Date: Dec 2, 2011
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Jul 22, 2015
• Publisher URL: http://www.icomos.org/Paris2011/Symposium_proceedings/PartV_session2.pdf
• Related Public URLs: http://www.icomos.org/en/what-we-do/disseminating-knowledge/newsletters/178-english-categories/news/469-17th-icomos-general-assembly-scientific-symposium-proceedings
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference; Funders : Funder not known