The climate change–built environment nexus is complex and intertwined. Recognizing the rising air temperatures and solar radiations owing to climate-induced global warming, it is critical to manage the increased building energy and cooling loads in the Middle East Gulf states’ hot desert climates (Bwh). One of the top climate priorities is to promote climate resilience by reducing risks and enhancing adaptation options. This study aims to systematically review the existing literature to document building energy performances in and the associated adaptation measures of the Middle East Gulf states, regarding the implications of climate change. It is accomplished by answering the following questions: ‘How well do we understand the effects of climate change on building energy use in hot urban deserts?’ and ‘What are the most appropriate adaptation strategies to reduce energy use in hot urban deserts?’. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis protocols (PRISMA), 17 studies on the influence of present and future weather scenarios on building performance are examined, considering variations in typology, methods, and input variables. Finally, the paper identifies the preferred methods and input variables for modelling building energy performance under predicted climatic changes. Passive design considerations are considered highly effective in mitigating and adapting to climate change implications. Thermal insulation and efficient window glazing are identified as the best-performing strategies, while the use of solar Photovoltaic (PV) is considered efficient in meeting the primary energy demands. The study’s findings can assist planners and designers in projecting future climatic influences on the energy usage of existing buildings.

As occupants spend almost 90% of their day indoors, especially in the workplaces, Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) plays a primary role in health and wellbeing, productivity, and building energy consumption. Adopting the IEQ and Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE), data has been gathered from nine multilevel open offices within a university building located in Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for three winter months. Physical parameters were monitored using data loggers to record the main IEQ factors. In parallel, POE questionnaires have been distributed to obtain occupants’ satisfaction with the IEQ and health-related symptoms experienced in the workspaces. The IEQ and POE data have shown slightly above or below the recommended ranges with the occupants similarly and slightly dissatisfied with the building. The thermal comfort revealed concerns with 99% of temperatures below international standards where 55% of the survey respondents reported “too cold”. The IAQ measurements showed 45% and 30% of the respondents reporting “stuffy air” and “headache” which indicated symptoms that could be tracked to other parameters or a combination of several, and the findings have been discussed in detail in this paper. This research contributed to identifying correlations between measured data and occupant satisfaction and identifying common IEQ defects and their sources to better communicate with facility managers and architects.

This study investigates the impact of the double skin facades on the annual cooling energy consumption of buildings in a hot-humid climate. DesignBuilder and EnergyPlus software are utilized as simulation tools to study the airflow and the energy performance of different design scenarios of an office building with a double skin façade in the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The results are evaluated and compared to each other, as well as with conventional curtain wall façade systems which are used as a benchmark for the simulation. Results show variations in the energy performance amongst the investigated double skin facades types according to the construction characteristics and the width of the air cavity. In general, with a naturally ventilated air cavity, the double-skin façade system shows a potential reduction in the annual cooling energy consumption of 22% compared to the benchmark. Incorporating mechanical ventilation to the air cavity can potentially reduce the building’s annual cooling energy consumption by 32%.

Villas are a very common building typology in Abu Dhabi. Due to its preponderance in residential areas, studying how to effectively reduce energy demand for this type of building is critical for Abu Dhabi, and many similar cities in the region. This study aims to show the impact of proposed energy efficiency measures on a villa using a calibrated model and to demonstrate that to be accurate, the model must be driven using urban weather data instead of rural weather data due to the significance of the urban heat island effect. Available data for this case study includes construction properties, on-site (urban) weather data, occupancy-related loads and schedules and rural weather data. Four main steps were followed, weather data customisation combining urban and rural weather variables, model calibration using a genetic algorithm-based tool and simulating retrofit strategies. We created a calibrated model for electricity demand during 2016–2017 with a 4% normalized mean bias error and an 11% coefficient of variation of the mean square error. Changing from none to all retrofit strategies results in a 34% reduction in annual energy consumption. According to the calibrated model, increased urban temperatures cause a 7.1% increase in total energy consumption.

As a result of an increasing demand for energy-efficient buildings with a better experience of user comfort, the built environment sector needs to consider the prediction of building energy performance, which during the design phase, is achieved when a building is handed over and used. There is, however, significant evidence that shows that buildings do not perform as anticipated. This discrepancy is commonly described as the ‘energy performance gap’. Building energy audit and post occupancy evaluation (POE) are among the most efficient processes to identify and reduce the energy performance gap and improve indoor environmental quality by observing, monitoring, and the documentation of in-use buildings’ operating performance. In this study, a case study of UAE university buildings’ energy audit, POE, and dynamic simulation were carried out to first, identify factors of the dynamic energy performance gap, and then to identify the utility of the strategy for reducing the gap. Furthermore, the building energy audit data and POE were applied in order to validate and calibrate a dynamic simulation model. This research demonstrated that the case study building’s systems were not operating as designed and almost a quarter of the cooling energy was wasted due to the fault of the building facility management of the mechanical systems. The more research findings were discussed in the paper.

With the prevalent use of large glazings, particularly in office buildings, offices receive an abundance of light and are among the largest consumers of electricity. Moreover, in an extreme hot arid climate such as in the UAE, achieving comfortable daylighting levels without increasing solar heat gain is a challenge, in which the window or fenestration design plays an essential role. This research adopts a case study of a higher education (HE) office building on the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) campus, selected to investigate an evidence-based retrofitting solution for the west façade that can be applied in existing office buildings in the UAE in order to reduce cooling energy load as well as enhance indoor environmental quality. To achieve an evidence-based retrofitting solution, the research design built upon a comprehensive exploratory investigation that included indoor environmental quality physical monitoring and occupant satisfaction surveying. Model simulation was performed by means of DesignBuilder software to perform a single- and multiparameter sensitivity analysis for three key passive window design parameters, i.e., window-to-wall ratio, glazing type, and external shading, aimed towards minimizing annual cooling load and solar heat gain, while maintaining appropriate indoor daylight illuminance levels. The results highlight the importance of the window-to-wall ratio (WWR), as it is the single most significant parameter effecting total energy consumption and daylighting levels. The results recommend 20–30% WWR as the optimum range in the west façade. However, by utilizing high performance glazing types and external shading, equal energy savings can be achieved with a larger WWR. Double Low E tinted glazing and 0.4 projection shading overhang and side fin revealed a noteworthy reduction of energy use intensity of 14%. The study concludes with final retrofitting solutions and design recommendations that aim to contribute validated knowledge towards enhancing window performance in a hot arid climate to guide architects and stakeholders to apply a range of passive parameters towards reducing energy consumption and improving occupant comfort in office buildings.