Innovative facade solutions for energy efficiency in contemporary architecture: inspired by traditional elements

The reinterpretation of traditional passive design strategies is of importance to modern architectural sustainability. One such effective strategy, widely used in traditional architecture to achieve indoor thermal comfort, is mashrabiya. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of adapting mashrabiya to modern architecture on energy-efficient facade design. The city of Diyarbakır, located in the hot and dry climate zone of Turkey, was selected as the study area. The mashrabiya is integrated into the living room. In this context, the effect of the use of perforated dimensions, depth and components of the mashrabiya on the indoor cooling load on four different facades was analysed. As a result of 148 different analyses, the use of mashrabiya on the south, east and west facades was found to be an important strategy. The use of appropriate perforation sizes, depths and components in the mashrabiya reduced the cooling load by approximately 21% on the south facade, 17% on the west facade and 13% on the east facade. This study shows the importance of mashrabiya in modern buildings for indoor thermal comfort. This is considered an important guideline for sustainable building in this context.