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The analysis of these dwellings facades, constructed during the French colonial era in Biskra, an Algerian southern town, aims to identify not only the characteristics of this largely mistreated architectural heritage, but also, to grasp... more
The analysis of these dwellings facades, constructed during the French colonial era in Biskra, an Algerian southern town, aims to identify not only the characteristics of this largely mistreated architectural heritage, but also, to grasp the co-occurrence of its morphological characteristics. Hence, a morphological approach was applied to a representative corpus of 190 facades located in the centre of this town. In order to conduct such an analysis, a model of the facade consisting on an elementary mesh of solid and void (a window network) was elaborated. This model allows various operations of segmentations through the observation of discontinuities, namely lyses. These latter define the composition levels (primary structuring) and the openings’ sequences (secondary structuring). The combinations of composition levels and spans arrangement produce a particular organisation for this windowed network, which was examined in detail, in this study. The outcomes from the studied corpus g...
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This study investigates the thermal performance of the ventilated mask wall used in the low-income neo-vernacular dwellings designed by André Ravéreau to cope with the warm desert climate conditions of M’zab Valley, Ghardaia, in southern... more
This study investigates the thermal performance of the ventilated mask wall used in the low-income neo-vernacular dwellings designed by André Ravéreau to cope with the warm desert climate conditions of M’zab Valley, Ghardaia, in southern Algeria. This device is a ventilated façade provided with an opaque external massive cladding. It is designed to be particularly efficient in hot climates, functioning simultaneously as a brise-soleil and a ventilated façade, compared with conventional façade systems. Based on a typical experiment conducted during the summertime (12–14 August), a residential unit in Sidi Abbaz selected as a case study was modeled and calibrated using EnergyPlus (v8.4) software, and then a dynamic simulation was performed in order to assess the efficiency of the ventilated mask wall as a cooling strategy. By means of the validated thermal model, various alternatives for the façade materials were investigated, and the thermal behavior of the current ventilated mask wa...
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This work undertakes a study of the colonial architecture produced in southern Algeria during the 19th and 20th centuries. The comparison of the colonial architecture as it is manifested in public buildings in the north and south of the... more
This work undertakes a study of the colonial architecture produced in southern Algeria during the 19th and 20th centuries. The comparison of the colonial architecture as it is manifested in public buildings in the north and south of the country will make it possible to grasp the specific characteristics of the architectural language developed in Saharan cities during the colonial period from 1832 to 1962. More precisely, the research endeavours to reconstruct, in a chronological manner, the conditions of production, the modalities of evolution of this architecture and the diversity of its formal attributes. To this end, a historical-analytical approach has been applied to a sample of buildings representative of the French presence in Algeria. In particular, the analysis focused on their architectural features with the intention of characterising the French imperialism formal and stylistic expressions which are rooted in eighteenth-century orientalism. The results show that the empha...
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The rural habitat in the Aures region is an excellent example on vernacular and human architecture. It reflects how inhabitants of this region responded to their requirements in an ingenious way and how local builders have succeeded to... more
The rural habitat in the Aures region is an excellent example on vernacular and human architecture. It reflects how inhabitants of this region responded to their requirements in an ingenious way and how local builders have succeeded to respond to challenges of climate, building materials and cultural expectations despite the particularly harsh environmental conditions of the Aures. The aim of this study is to determine the strategies used in vernacular constructions to deal with the severe climatic conditions that prevail in the Aures region. Precisely, rural dwellings in Ain Zaatout village (Beni Ferah) were studied to emphasize the importance of the architectural properties of the traditional houses in terms of thermal performance and climatic adaptability. In this regard, an extensive literature review was carried out on previous studies that investigated the Aures settlements. Accordingly, a comprehensive knowledge on typical Aurassien village and various data including spatial ...
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In hot dry regions, the building envelope receives abundant solar radiation, which contributes to heat stress and indoor thermal discomfort. To mitigate overheating inside spaces, cooling is the main basic requirement during most of the... more
In hot dry regions, the building envelope receives abundant solar radiation, which contributes to heat stress and indoor thermal discomfort. To mitigate overheating inside spaces, cooling is the main basic requirement during most of the year. However, due to the harsh climatic conditions, buildings fail to provide passively the required comfort conditions. Consequently, they are fully dependent on-air conditioning systems, which are huge energy consumers. As roofs are exposed to the sun throughout the daytime, they are estimated to be the main source of heat stress. In return, they can contribute significantly to achieve optimum comfort and energy savings when efficient design strategies are used in an early design stage. To examine the potential for cooling load reduction and thermal comfort enhancement by using cooling roof techniques in residential buildings, a study was performed in the city of Biskra (southern Algeria). Accordingly, an in-field measurement campaign was carried ...
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In a typical hot arid climate, heat gains throughout the building envelope are responsible for more than 70% of the total thermal load. Furthermore, the thermal behavior of a building depends on the formal and constructive choices... more
In a typical hot arid climate, heat gains throughout the building envelope are responsible for more than 70% of the total thermal load. Furthermore, the thermal behavior of a building depends on the formal and constructive choices implemented in the envelope design. Since the envelope is exposed to outdoor conditions, it is crucial to give a major interest to the thermal characteristics of its structural components (i.e., walls, roof and windows). These elements are in charge of thermal exchanges between the building and its environment that occurs by heat transmission, thermal heat storage, solar heat gain and air infiltration. In return, implementing proper climatic responsive design strategies could potentially improve the envelope thermal performance while significantly reducing the building’s energy needs. The present study addresses the thermal behavior of the envelope under hot arid climate conditions by focusing on residential buildings. The research was conductuted in the c...
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In recent years, energy conservation issues, environmental problems and their consequences on public health have increased interest in climatic responsive design to achieve better thermal comfort conditions inside the building without... more
In recent years, energy conservation issues, environmental problems and their consequences on public health have increased interest in climatic responsive design to achieve better thermal comfort conditions inside the building without enhancing energy consumption. As people spend most of their time in interior spaces, indoor thermal conditions significantly impact their health and wellbeing. Extended exposure to extreme temperatures might cause heat-related illnesses, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, or death. This paper evaluates the indoor thermal environment generated by the residential buildings’ fabric under overheating conditions. The study was conducted during the summer in a typical residential district in Biskra (Algeria). To assess the thermal response of the buildings’ fabric by taking into account the natural and social context of Biskra, as well as, the energy consumption behaviour of householders, a dynamic simulation study was performed over 115 self-build hou...
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Research Interests:
Modern buildings in Algeria consume a huge amount of energy and deliver modest thermal comfort, due to their design which does not address the local climate conditions. In contrast, it is commonly recognized that vernacular architecture... more
Modern buildings in Algeria consume a huge amount of energy and deliver modest thermal comfort, due to their design which does not address the local climate conditions. In contrast, it is commonly recognized that vernacular architecture is climate-responsive and environmentally friendly architecture. This study aims to assess the thermal performance of vernacular architecture in the hot and dry climate of the Ziban region, Biskra. It was achieved by describing the main passive strategies in this architecture, later performing field hygrothermal measurements on two different houses in this region. The results revealed that the thermal effectiveness of these vernacular houses depends on the interaction of all their vernacular passive strategies from architectural to urban scale.
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School establishments have been considered the foundation of various civilizations, due to the importance of the educational process in producing future generations and shaping healthy societies. This paper aims to evaluate the thermal... more
School establishments have been considered the foundation of various civilizations, due to the importance of the educational process in producing future generations and shaping healthy societies. This paper aims to evaluate the thermal comfort sensation of pupils in school buildings under hostile climatic conditions in hot arid regions. The study employed the use of the post-occupancy approach with subjective assessments through questionnaires and physical measurements of the environmental physical parameters of thermal comfort: temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity as objective assessments. These measurements were in parallel with survey questionnaires that were undertaken during regular class sessions covering the hot and cold conditions of a school year, polling responses from 281 participants on their perception of the indoor climate. Finger's comfort indicators are calculated (PMV, predicted mean vote; and PPD, predicted percentage of dissatisfied people); and th...
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To improve the thermal comfort conditions of the occupants in the individual housing and to reduce the energy consumption induced by the heating and cooling needs in the building, it is necessary to act on the main element which controls... more
To improve the thermal comfort conditions of the occupants in the individual housing and to reduce the energy consumption induced by the heating and cooling needs in the building, it is necessary to act on the main element which controls the heat exchanges with the environment: the envelope. This refers to the building’s outer skin that consisting of vertical opaque components (the walls ...), horizontal ones (roof ...) and various opening devices. The thermal performance of the envelope is mainly due to its geometrical and formal attributes, but the material characteristics of its components remain decisive for thermal exchanges with the environment. As part of the building at the interface of the indoor ambiances and the outdoor environment, the envelope is often the seat of a large number of heat exchange phenomena that affect not only the premises energy consumption but also the thermal comfort conditions of their occupants. This paper summarizes the main results obtained from a...
In order to improve thermal comfort conditions of tertiary buildings through the facades of buildings, a research has been undertaken with the intention of developing a contextually appropriate and energetically efficient facade under the... more
In order to improve thermal comfort conditions of tertiary buildings through the facades of buildings, a research has been undertaken with the intention of developing a contextually appropriate and energetically efficient facade under the conditions of a hot and arid climate. The study has taken as its starting point the analysis of comfort conditions of a set of office buildings located in Biskra. These buildings were distinguished from standpoints of the treatment of their facades and the materials used. The study proposes to evaluate the thermal functioning of the different materials of the facade, then to optimize their behavior by acting on their material characteristics and the walls composition. The facade, indeed, represents a place of interaction and exchange between the inside and the outside, the performance of which is due to factors that are formal, material and technical. This article presents the main results of the analytical work. The investigation is based on an em...
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It is well known that the passive strategies applying in traditional buildings respond satisfactory to climatic requirements and succeed to provide maximum indoor comfort with minimum energy consumption. From this point of view, it is... more
It is well known that the passive strategies applying in traditional buildings respond satisfactory to climatic requirements and succeed to provide maximum indoor comfort with minimum energy consumption. From this point of view, it is interesting to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of the vernacular strategies to improve the environmental performance of the building’s envelope under desert climate conditions. The research tries to address this issue and was undertaken in southern Algeria where a very hot and arid climate prevails. The effect of some selected passive cooling strategies on enhancing the building’s envelope climate performance was examined. These strategies are inspired from the local vernacular architecture, and they are expected to provide satisfactory indoor thermal comfort for users and to reduce the energy cooling demand from residential buildings. Applying field and computational investigations, two existing residential buildings were tested: a typical residential unit and a contemporary vernacular (neo-vernacular) building. In the latter, climate responsive strategies inspired from vernacular architecture were applied. A comparison based on site measurements was carried out on the two selected buildings which differ from their envelope design properties and components.
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The thermal performance of the roof is one of the most important factors for a comfortable environment. As 50% of the thermal loads received by a building come from the roof, this research seeks to find the roofing system that opposes the... more
The thermal performance of the roof is one of the most important factors for a comfortable environment. As 50% of the thermal loads received by a building come from the roof, this research seeks to find the roofing system that opposes the transmission of heat during the hottest days and promotes indoor thermal comfort. In this regard, this paper presents an experimental study carried out on four (04) testing cells constructed on a reduced scale and submitted to climatic external conditions. Three (03) cells were used to test passive cooling strategies through the roof, namely: the cool roof, ventilated roof and a roof with inverted earth pots. The fourth cell that served as cell-reference, for its part, a conventional roof. The experimentation concerned the types of roofs most used in residential buildings in Biskra, Algeria. The measurements process was effectuated in an exposed field during the month of July, prevailing the metrological data of the hot and arid climate. The obtain...
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The building envelope is the first barrier to protect against external climatic variations. Generally, it consists of two types of walls: opaque walls (walls and roof) and transparent walls (Windows). The design characteristics of the... more
The building envelope is the first barrier to protect against external climatic variations. Generally, it consists of two types of walls: opaque walls (walls and roof) and transparent walls (Windows). The design characteristics of the enclosure strongly affect the occupants' thermal comfort, as well as the building energy consumption. The constructive choices relating to structural elements, in particular, walls, roofing and openings are generally considered in the thermal exchanges between the building and its environment. In the present study, which is based on experimental analysis in the self-generated residential sector in Biskra (Algeria), where a warm and arid climate predominates, we aim to evaluate the thermal impact of certain architectural and constructive parameters that are specific to residential habitat self-produced in Biskra. This paper summarizes the main results obtained from an in situ measurement campaign that evaluated the essential parameters of thermal co...
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In the process of perception, all architectural objects are bearers of meaning even if those who create them do not intend to send a message or an idea. This process differs from one to another depending on the observer’s belonging,... more
In the process of perception, all architectural objects are bearers of meaning even if those who create them do not intend to send a message or an idea. This process differs from one to another depending on the observer’s belonging, thought and imagination. In this context, vertical buildings and monuments play an important role in the perception of space and the universe; they have been used in different cultures and civilisations throughout human history, especially in spiritual and religious terms (Alihodzic and Zupančič, 2018). Islamic civilisation is no exception; certain elements have been used in Muslim religious architecture with various morphological appearances to establish a vertical relationship with God. The minaret is one of these elements. Given its significance and function, it is the most important component of the mosque’s architecture. It is a tower from which a muezzin or a crier calls the believers to pray five times a day. The minaret is considered as one of th...
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The facade of a building is a decisive factor in the thermal and energy performance of buildings. Its surfaces are considered as zones of heat transfer between the inside and the outside. Surface properties, especially color and texture;... more
The facade of a building is a decisive factor in the thermal and energy performance of buildings. Its surfaces are considered as zones of heat transfer between the inside and the outside. Surface properties, especially color and texture; which have an important role on solar absorption and thermal emittance of the facade and subsequently the thermal operation of the building. The purpose of this article is to study the impact of surface properties of the facade on the thermal comfort and energy efficiency of buildings in a hot and arid climate. The investigation is based on an experimental approach by taking measurements in test cells with an insulating paint (with nanoparticles) as well as on a numerical study by the dynamic thermal simulation software TRNSYS. Several parameters were studied such as ambient temperature, internal and external surface temperature and energy consumption. The results showed that the surfaces of the facade represent with excellence the place of heat exc...
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Research Interests:
Cet article est base sur un travail de doctorat en cours de finalisation qui porte sur l’architecture domestique a Biskra. Il presente les resultats relatifs au premier pole de la recherche lequel caracterise morphologiquement le cadre... more
Cet article est base sur un travail de doctorat en cours de finalisation qui porte sur l’architecture domestique a Biskra. Il presente les resultats relatifs au premier pole de la recherche lequel caracterise morphologiquement le cadre bâti residentiel autoproduit (habitat populaire) et met en exergue les modalites de son evolution. La methode utilisee pour etudier les mutations de l’espace bâti domestique est d’essence typologique. Neanmoins le modele analytique elaboree presente l’interet de prendre en charge a la fois dimension temporelle diachronique et la dimension morphologique ramenee a trois variables generiques - i) l’insertion urbaine, ii) l’apparence exterieure, iii) l’organisation interieure . L’esprit de la demarche consiste a etudier l’habitation populaire comme la somme de strates historiques successives dont les traits morphologiques pertinents sont caracterises. L’article donne un apercu sur l’approche methodologique adoptee, des resultats preliminaires sont egaleme...
Research Interests: History and Humanities
Abstract The building sector in Algeria was influenced by French colonisation in terms of typology and materials (in particular, housing sector was the most influenced), but the local traditional architecture is full of forms of harsh... more
Abstract The building sector in Algeria was influenced by French colonisation in terms of typology and materials (in particular, housing sector was the most influenced), but the local traditional architecture is full of forms of harsh climate resistance. The severe hot-dry climate regions are the most affected, due to the high temperature degrees which made the government reducing electricity and gas bills tariff by 65%. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of passive strategies inspired from traditional architecture in hot-dry climate in affecting the energy demand (cooling and heating loads). A typical case study of El-Miniawy housing in Ouled Djellal with adapted passive strategies is analysed through psychometric chart evaluation, in situ measurement campaign and dynamic simulations (EnergyPlus), to understand its thermal behaviour and energy demand, exploring the impact of seven different scenarios with modified passive strategies and parameters. The results show that the actual design temperatures in the typical hottest days are between 30.1 °C and 35.4 °C, while the external temperature is achieving to 47 °C. Moreover, the building consumes 10.43 kWh/m 2 and 19.87 kWh/m2 for cooling and heating demand respectively. It varies according to the different analysed scenarios. This study can be useful for decision makers and architects in Algeria and abroad, towards the climate-responsive design in housing sector.
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Research Interests:
Algeria, like the other Maghreb countries, had a long period of colonization. At independence, most Algerian cities inherited an important architectural legacy, which appears mainly at the level of public buildings and more clearly in... more
Algeria, like the other Maghreb countries, had a long period of colonization. At independence, most Algerian cities inherited an important architectural legacy, which appears mainly at the level of public buildings and more clearly in institutional buildings to symbolize the presence, power and domination of France on the colonized Algerian territory. This architecture was expressed in a particular stylistic register based on the re-employment of architectural elements used in the local architecture and on the import of western exogenous models, whether historical or modern. Most studies which were interested in colonial architecture in Algeria have focused on northern cities. According to these studies, the colonial architectural legacy has been identified with a set of formal characteristics concerned with the so-called neo-Moorish style (or arabisance). However, the question of the stylistic identification of the colonial architecture produced in the south of the country remains ...
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Research Interests: Humanities and Art
Mario Botta once said: «Architecture is the constant fight between man and nature, the fight to overwhelm nature, to possess it. The first act of architecture is to put a stone on the ground. That act transforms a condition of nature into... more
Mario Botta once said: «Architecture is the constant fight between man and nature, the fight to overwhelm nature, to possess it. The first act of architecture is to put a stone on the ground. That act transforms a condition of nature into a condition of culture; it’s a holy act». Through history, we see this interaction between us, nature and culture, this complicated relation shapes our life into social urban fabrics and architecture. Therefore, Architectural heritage is the most witness and expressive art and science to human being’s history book. Since our environments are different, the logical consequence of urban fabrics also would be different in point of view the compactness, units’ form, materials, urban layout and streets. For example, the Saharan urban fabrics seems to be more compact with narrow streets and patio-built units, this urban fabric are also a result of social order needs, the hierarchy of streets from public to private shows the intimacy relation between loca...
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In southern Algeria, the local traditional settlements have been generated as a response to material, spiritual and cultural needs of people, whilst, they have also succeeded to respond to one of the harshest climates on the planet. In... more
In southern Algeria, the local traditional settlements have been generated as a response to material, spiritual and cultural needs of people, whilst, they have also succeeded to respond to one of the harshest climates on the planet. In this respect, the vernacular dwelling of the Souf region provides a very instructive example of what is now called sustainable architecture. Furthermore, the traditional architecture of the Souf embodies ingenious cooling design strategies relevant to occupant behaviour, environment adaptation, techniques and local materials that can offer great opportunities to overcome the desert climate conditions regarding the contemporary buildings. The present research addresses the issue by performing a qualitative analysis on two case studies that were selected to represent respectively typical traditional dwellings and common contemporary residential buildings. Based on in-field collected data, the selected examples were analysed in order to assess and compar...
In hot dry climates, employing passive cooling roofs systems can provide cooling needs with less amount of electrical energy. Furthermore, when focusing on living spaces in terms of indoor thermal comfort and energy performance issues,... more
In hot dry climates, employing passive cooling roofs systems can provide cooling needs with less amount of electrical energy. Furthermore, when focusing on living spaces in terms of indoor thermal comfort and energy performance issues, occupant’s interaction with the building should not be underestimated. Recent studies with occupant-based focus have shown that human behaviour significantly impacts energy consumption, even more than building design. Likewise, understanding occupant’s interactions within buildings plays a key role in enhancing the indoor environment performance. To examine the potential for cooling load reduction and thermal comfort enhancement by using cool roofs in residential buildings, a study was performed. Considering a sample of twelve multi-story houses located in the city of Biskra (southern Algeria), thermal comfort conditions were analysed on the basis of a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) survey and in situ recorded measurements campaign. The POE household...
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Research Interests: Humanities and Art
Building facades are considered heat transfer surfaces between the indoor and outdoor environments. They are the areas of great thermal losses through different modes of transfer (by conduction, convection and radiation) which has a great... more
Building facades are considered heat transfer surfaces between the indoor and outdoor environments. They are the areas of great thermal losses through different modes of transfer (by conduction, convection and radiation) which has a great influence on the thermal operation of buildings. The objective of this research is to study the thermal behavior of a ventilated facade on its efficiency in a hot and arid zone. This research is based on experimental work through the exploitation of test cells on a small scale. The parameters studied are: external surface temperatures, internal surface temperatures and ambient temperatures. The results showed that the thermal operation of the air cavity of a ventilated facade has a positive influence on the thermal behaviour of the facade and subsequently the thermal and energy performance of the building.
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Abstract In school buildings, especially learning spaces, good daylight and thermal conditions are important to promote the educational process, as unsatisfactory comfort levels can reduce physical and intellectual performance for both... more
Abstract In school buildings, especially learning spaces, good daylight and thermal conditions are important to promote the educational process, as unsatisfactory comfort levels can reduce physical and intellectual performance for both teachers and pupils. However, achieving successful classroom designs is rather complicated, as it requires the balancing of various interrelated factors, which is particularly challenging for hot and dry climates. In recent years, major improvements have been made in building optimization methods, and genetic algorithms used to search for high performing design solutions have shown their efficiency in solving such complex problems. This study shows how such an approach can be applied to optimize the thermal, lighting and energy performance of a middle school classroom in a hot and dry climate. Using a parametric approach and evolutionary multi-objective computation via Octopus plug-in for Grasshopper, various windows-to-wall ratios, wall materials, glass types, and shading devices were combined, to derive potential solutions that achieve a good balance between daylight provision and thermal comfort, while ensuring low energy consumption. The results show that improvements in useful daylight illuminance, adaptive thermal comfort and energy efficiency could be achieved through modification of building envelope parameters. Solutions for different building orientations are explored, providing recommendations for window-to-wall ratios in school buildings in a hot and dry climate. The results demonstrate how an optimization methodology can be used in the early stages of the building design process to understand how the building envelope can be tailored to ensure good building performance, both in terms of comfort and energy performance.