Design Strategies for Sustainable Energy in the Gulf Region

With the continuous economic and population growth, global interest has shifted towards net-zero building by considering energy-efficient active and passive systems. In the Gulf region, traditional residential houses are not mainly built to withstand harsh climates and consume enormous amounts of energy. This work aims to evaluate the design strategies of an existing eco-friendly house and compare its energy performance with the approaches used in traditional houses by using a validated model in three predominant climate zones of Oman: hot-humid, hot-dry, and warm-humid. The result of this evaluation is used to develop design guidelines towards a net-zero energy state for residential buildings across the studied climates. Moreover, passive strategies like envelope designs were also tested to evaluate the eco-friendly house and compare its performance with the traditional counterparts. Furthermore, this study sheds light on the importance of passive cooling strategies by assessing their efficacy. The ultimate findings of this research offer Practical suggestions for the design and construction of energy-efficient homes, aiming to facilitate the shift towards building practices that are more sustainable and environmentally conscious.