Optimising Window-to-Wall Ratio for Enhanced Energy Efficiency and Building Intelligence in Hot Summer Mediterranean Climates

Abstract

This study focused on optimising the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) as a design solution to reduce energy consumption and enhance building intelligence from an energy-saving perspective. It examines the impact range of the WWR in improving the energy efficiency in low-rise residential apartments in Sulaimaniyah City, which experiences a hot summer Mediterranean climate. This study employed a quantitative approach, simulating and analysing the energy consumption of the selected samples using specific tools, such as Autodesk Revit and Insight Cloud. The findings show that improving the window-to-wall ratio can significantly reduce the energy use intensity (EUI) across various building orientations. Southern-facing walls permit reductions ranging from 1.23 to 14.98 kWh/m2, whereas northern-facing walls show losses ranging from 2.03 to 12.98 kWh/m2. Similarly, western-facing walls show decreases ranging from 0.41 to 6.41 kWh/m2 and eastern-facing walls from 1.44 to 5.59 kWh/m2. These energy-saving ranges improve building intelligence in terms of energy utilisation. Furthermore, the recommended WWR is 65% for southern and eastern walls and 95% and 30% for northern and western walls. This study underscores the significance of optimising the window-to-wall ratio in intelligent building design. Neglecting this can significantly impact energy use and represents a missed opportunity to improve building intelligence.