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Thermal performance of mashrabiya façades in hot-arid climates

Article Open access Version 3 — current CC BY-NC 4.0
Authors
Dr. Layla Al-Harbi College of Architecture & Planning
Eng. Khalid Al-Mutairi College of Engineering
Deposited 11 Mar 2026 Published 2025 Journal of Architectural Engineering, 31(2)
DOI 10.5281/aurora.2026.04182

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Abstract

Deposited in English and displayed in its original language.

Traditional mashrabiya screens are often cited as passive-cooling devices, yet quantified evidence for contemporary curtain-wall adaptations remains thin. This study couples calibrated EnergyPlus models with a year of on-site monitoring of two office façades in Riyadh to measure how perforation ratio, depth and shading geometry affect operative temperature and cooling load. A parametric screen with a 32% perforation ratio reduced annual cooling demand by 18.4% against the unshaded baseline while keeping daylight autonomy above 55%. The paper closes with design thresholds intended for adoption in regional façade codes.

Reported results
18.4% Lower annual cooling demand than the unshaded baseline
32% Perforation ratio of the best-performing screen
55% Daylight autonomy retained across the floor plate
Keywords: Passive cooling Mashrabiya Thermal comfort Vernacular architecture Hot-arid climates

Item metadata

Document type
Journal article — accepted manuscript
Language
English
Licence
CC BY-NC 4.0
DOI
10.5281/aurora.2026.04182
Published in
Journal of Architectural Engineering, 31(2), 118–141
Publication year
2025
Deposit date
11 Mar 2026
Department
College of Architecture & Planning
Access level
Public — no sign-in required
Record version
3 of 3 (current)

Files (2)

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    mashrabiya-thermal-v3.pdf Accepted manuscript — full text
    4.2 MB 24 pages 412 downloads
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  • CSV
    simulation-dataset.csv Supplementary dataset — hourly monitoring & model output
    18.6 MB 8,760 rows 201 downloads
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Version history

  1. 3
    Version 3 Current 11 Mar 2026

    Corrected Figure 6 and refreshed the simulation dataset after peer review.

  2. 2
    Version 2 2 Feb 2026

    Added the supplementary monitoring dataset alongside the manuscript.

    View this version
  3. 1
    Version 1 19 Jan 2026

    Initial deposit submitted through the self-deposit wizard.

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Cite this item

Al-Harbi, L., & Al-Mutairi, K. (2025). Thermal performance of mashrabiya façades in hot-arid climates. Journal of Architectural Engineering, 31(2), 118–141. https://doi.org/10.5281/aurora.2026.04182

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