Integrated Design Process for High-Performance Buildings; a Case Study from Dubai

Abstract

Due to the scarcity of water and the harsh desert climate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), water and energy are two of the main challenges for the design of sustainable buildings in the UAE. Relevant literature calls for the consideration of building systems and materials at the design stage to achieve high-performing buildings and to save on the operational costs of the building. The aim of this research was to design a high-performance building that meets the environmental sustainability requirements for water and energy, in the city of Dubai to reflect the technological advancements of the UAE Mars mission. This has been achieved through following an integrated design process, which was mainly focused on the evaluation and specification of the building engineering systems based on performance, besides the goal of achieving visually appealing building with advanced structural design. The performance verification of the final building design, which considered engineering systems design from conception and through the design and detailed design stages, revealed a 15% reduction in water consumption and a 60% reduction in energy consumption. This provides a valuable contribution to architectural engineering practice, by demonstrating a case study for enhancing energy and water efficiency via building design, which consequently contributes to the environmental sustainability of the built environment.