A Parametric Model Proposal for Energy-Efficient Building Design in the Cold-Arid Climate Region: A Case on Tabriz

Abstract

Built environments are responsible for significant global energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental problems. Due to the rapid increase in the population in cities, the unplanned construction of the housing need has a share that must be addressed in the emergence of these problems. Therefore, today, the energy-efficient design of new settlements has become a current and essential approach. It has made it necessary to consider the decisions taken regarding the factors affecting building energy consumption before the design. In this direction, the effects of design parameters such as window ratio, balcony depth, material type, material color, insulation used, number of floors, basement floor usage, aspect ratio, and building orientation status on energy performance in the city of Tabriz with a cold-arid climate were analyzed with the Design-Builder program. Then, suitable criteria to reduce energy consumption were searched. By comparing the results obtained from the analyses, the effect of the appropriate architectural decisions regarding these parameters on energy saving has been determined, a guide for designing energy-efficient buildings has been created, and a model proposal has been provided.