Daylight is an important factor that significantly contributes to patients’ healing, with a reduction in the length of stay in the hospital. It can strongly affect energy consumption negatively or positively through lighting control strategies. Therefore, the case of healthcare buildings is very particular and sensitive, especially under extreme climate conditions as in hot and arid regions. The present study aims to determine a balance between daylight use and energy consumption through a parametric-based optimization of the external shading system in a typical hospital room in Biskra. This paper demonstrates how the implementation of parametric design with evolutionary algorithms is considered a reliable strategy to reach optimum solutions in building performance problems. The daylight performance is investigated based on multi-objective optimization to minimize the Energy Use Intensity “EUI”, while maximizing Spatial Daylight Autonomy “sDA” and Useful Daylight Illuminance “UDI”. A simulation model was developed via Grasshopper, which was employed with the use of Ladybug, Honeybee, and Octopus plug-ins. The results revealed that the adaptive facade system can improve indoor daylight levels and energy performance simultaneously compared to the conventional shading system. The presented framework may be used as a reference model, which can enhance opportunities to solve complex design problems in the early design stages and suggest recommendations for sustainable building design.

Climatic spatial maps are essential for understanding the thermal conditions of cities and estimate their cooling and heating energy needs. Climate maps allow building designers and city planners to get adequately informed without accessing, analyzing or interpreting dense textual information. In this study, a representative residential benchmark model was simulated in seventy-four cities of Algeria. The simulation results were interpolated using geographic information systems to generate six high-resolution maps that spatially estimate and visualize the discomfort hours and cooling/heating energy needs. The unique methodology relies on a reliable weather dataset (2004–2018) and combines the power of building performance simulation and geographic information systems. The results of these analyses provide easy to understand and web-based atlas that can be used to explore regional and local climate and quantify the discomfort hours, the heating/cooling energy needs and energy use intensity. The spatial maps are not a static product, but rather data-rich content, which can be expanded to include the most important cities of Algeria. The capabilities of the tool allow architects and urban planners to understand the climate better and propose practical design guidance.

The relationship between architectural design and outdoor acoustic environments remains underexplored, particularly in educational spaces where noise levels impact comfort and usability. This study investigates the impact of building facade height on the outdoor acoustic environment in university courtyards. Acoustic measurements were conducted in two courtyards at Batna 1 University, each surrounded by buildings with distinct facade heights. Key acoustic parameters, including reverberation time (RT), early decay time (EDT), rapid speech transmission index (RaSTI), Definition (D50), and sound pressure level (SPL) attenuation were evaluated at specified source-receiver distances. The results reveal a strong correlation between RT20 and distance at higher frequencies due to building facade reflections, while lower frequencies are more influenced by geometric configuration and material absorption properties. The results demonstrate that RT and EDT increase logarithmically or polynomially with distance, especially at higher frequencies (2000–4000 Hz), due to the decrease in direct sound energy and increase in reflected sound amplitude. Taller building facades lead to longer RT and EDT values compared to lower heights. D50 and RaSTI decrease polynomially with increasing source–receiver distance, with lower values observed in the courtyard with taller facades, indicating reduced speech clarity. The SPL attenuation is influenced by surrounding geometry, with the least reduction in the courtyard with lower facade heights, followed by the taller facade courtyard, contrasting with semi-free field conditions. These findings highlight the significant role of building facade height and architectural elements in shaping the acoustic characteristics of outdoor spaces, providing valuable insights for designing acoustically comfortable urban environments, particularly in educational settings.

This study aims initially to evaluate the quality of different soundscapes in the public space of the city of Biskra, in Algeria. A total of 35 participants took part in a laboratory experiment, where 28 sound clips of one-minute duration taken from public spaces in the city were used as stimuli. The A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level (LAeq,1min) was calculated. The participants rated the quality of the soundscape using attribute scales provided in their own native language. The results of the questionnaire on the recorded soundtracks confirm that the immediate environment affects the ambient sound level and the quality of the sound environment, where the sound environments of the areas located near the roads, with a high mechanical flow, are considered the most unpleasant and noisy, with a high A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level (LAeq,1min). The findings of this study indicate that there are statistically significant correlations between pleasantness and loudness, presence of mechanical sounds, presence of non-mechanical sounds, and a sound exposure level. In addition, this study shows that there is a significant positive correlation between pleasantness and the presence of non-mechanical sounds. The results also showed an inverse relationship between the presence of mechanical and non-mechanical sounds, and that the absence of mechanical sounds allows natural and human sounds to be more audible, making the soundscape more pleasant and calm according to the results of the questionnaire. From this study, the duality LAeq,1min and the components of the soundscape are very representative indicators of the quality of the soundscape.

The modern movement of architecture has led to a proliferation of buildings featuring transparent facades, which unfortunately amplify the energy needs of these structures. Mitigating this energy consumption necessitates a reevaluation of architectural strategies. Addressing concerns such as overheating, innovative solutions like smart and dynamic double-skin facades have emerged to curtail energy usage while ensuring comfortable indoor conditions. This study focuses on examining the efficacy of smart facades, employing electrochromic glazing, and dynamic double-skin facades, and integrating dynamic shading systems, in reducing energy consumption within office buildings located in hot and arid regions. Parametric simulations were used on a particular office building, comparing scenarios with and without the implementation of smart and dynamic double-skin facades, particularly on south-facing orientations. The simulations varied the wall-to-window ratio (WWR) to gauge energy performance under different configurations. Furthermore, multi-objective optimization (MOO) techniques were employed to analyze and optimize shading device properties. Parameters such as depth, distance from the glass, shade angle, and spacing between shades were optimized as genetic variables to determine the most energy-efficient configuration for office buildings. The study results demonstrate that the use of EC glazing is beneficial in all WWR percentages, achieving 67.65% of energy saving in 90% of WWR., Also it was found that the optimal solution for saving energy is using DDSF with 20 cm of shading depth, 45° of shading angle, and double low-E vacuum in the inner skin, with an energy saving of 70.32% in the case of 90% of WWR compared to the base case.