Impact of Urban Morphology on Ventilation in Sustainable High-Rise Housing in Mediterranean Climates: A Case Study of Bashayer Al-Khair, Alexandria

Egypt is in the process of implementing the International Agenda 2030. In September 2015, the United Nations adopted this framework and established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved between 2016 and 2030. Among these, priority is given to creating towns and human settlements that are inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. This paper examines various urban form parameters to regulate outdoor thermal and wind comfort in the Bashayer Al-Khair Housing Project, Alexandria. Microclimatic conditions in specific districts were analysed experimentally using ENVI-met 4.0 software. Three neighbourhood geometries (rectangular courtyard, linear, and square courtyard) with different densities were simulated and compared during the summer of 2023. Results show that the square courtyard typology provides the most favourable microclimatic conditions. Increasing the height-to-width (H/W) ratio from 1.5 to 4.5 reduces average air temperature by approximately 3-4 ℃, increases wind speed from 2.25 to 3.83 m/s, and moderately raises relative humidity from 77% to 82%, highlighting the benefits of taller and narrower urban forms for improved ventilation and thermal comfort. The most effective configuration is the square courtyard with a floor area ratio (FAR) of 7.66. Based on these findings, the study explicitly recommends adopting the square courtyard urban form in future housing projects in Egypt, as it enhances outdoor thermal comfort while supporting sustainable urban development goals.