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Low Energy in Hot Climates
In the Middle East, Low Energy Construction is Key.
Working in the Middle East region, where conditions can be extreme and power availability constrained, has enabled WME to develop particular expertise in low energy engineering design for hot climates — expertise highly relevant to low energy construction generally.
How a building reacts to internal and external conditions and how it is controlled in use are fundamental components to achieving a low energy outcome. Client aspirations, structural engineering and building services design all play a part. The earlier in a project programme that a low energy approach is adopted, the greater the possibility for extra advantages through efficient integration of structural and building services systems.
Increasingly, low energy measures are becoming standard through government regulation and building codes — in the Middle East and around the world. Many of our clients want to go further, for altruistic reasons but also for financial reasons: a small investment can lead to big savings. WME supports this approach, incorporating best practice measures into our standard services. They result in optimised buildings that are more efficient to run.
Our approach to low energy buildings in hot climates includes …
- Contributing to decisions on facade orientation, building type, floorplate size and sustainability measures through optioneering work with architects at early project stages
- Using daylight analysis to make the most of daylight resources, coupled with the use of daylight sensors to control lighting levels in buildings, plus automatic censoring to minimise power usage
- Ensuring efficient MEP design through careful choice of equipment and its installation design, and eliminating over-design through the use of actual power load figures for each element
- Adopting hot-climate water distribution and user systems, and recycling grey water using on-site filtration
- Expertise in the use of renewable energies and energy recovery systems
- Using fibre optic cabling, which is low-power
