Covid-19 Effect on the Architectural Segment in the Middle East

COVID-19 AND ARCHITECTURE

Covid-19 Effect on the Architectural Segment in the Middle East

Ghaith Albezreh Lead Architect, Consultant HSS

About the Author:

Ghaith Albezreh is the lead architect at Consultant HSS, with a Master of Arts degree in Architecture and Urban Design from FH Potsdam (Germany) with 17+ years of experience in Germany and the Middle East. Ghaith tends to perfectly mix his solid practical experience and deep academic knowledge to achieve the best results in designing architectural solutions. During his career, he has managed and delivered many complex architectural and construction projects from concept to completion. All that contributed to a track record of achievements and prizes in Europe and ME. He has a huge passion for arts and design in general, especially urban design, adopting green, sustainable innovative futuristic vision.

In the last decade, globalisation was leading us to a new world map. People, companies, and governments were adapting their lifestyles, processes, and regulations allowing stronger interaction, connectivity, and integration worldwide. The rapidness of the changes brought into our lives made us overlook how tightly coupled with our world became. This year, shortly after celebrating the start of the new decade, an unprecedented wave of uncertainty hits the whole world. No one could have predicted the power, spread, or the impact of the Coronavirus. Now, it became crystal clear how seriously the Coronavirus pandemic has affected our lives.

It is not the first time in human history where diseases spread challenged humanity and our existence. Diseases always kept shaping our living environment where architects and engineers were under pressure to address and handle such danger to mankind. Cities and buildings were often redesigned and re-engineered to adapt to increased understanding of minimising and stopping diseases spread e.g. the introduction of the sewerage network system in London and applying new zoning regulations, as an impact of cholera in the 19th century.

It is the commitment of architects to react and come up with innovative ideas during such moments, which saved humanity from countless waves of disease spreads.

COVID 19 quarantine and curfew measures forced people to isolate themselves at their accommodations keeping a social distance. This led to a dramatic change in their daily routine, habits, and lifestyle. Whether in private spaces, semi-private spaces like Offices or public spaces many found themselves in a challenge by the new situation.

At the private space level, homes have become our workplaces, gym, schools, kindergartens

Joseph Bazalgette (top right) at the northern outfall sewer being built below London’s Abbey Mills pumping station

Mejiro Studio + Kozo Kadowaki / open garden terrace to enhance light and space quality

and playgrounds, all of that at the same place. People started for the first time recognising the importance of new aspects in their private spaces. They have experienced the pros and cons of different perspectives. Like noticing the light and shadow in their apartments and its influence on their energy and work attitude. The need of having external spaces at their reach to get fresh air like a terrace, balcony, courtyard, or small garden. They reevaluate the vital role of space utilisation, light, green design, and smart technology in bringing quality and safety for their families.

Smart office solution to control, light, AC, Curtain, and CCTV Dubai World Trade Centre converted into a field hospital with a capacity to treat 3,000 Covid-19 patients

The new apartments’ layout needs to be introduced, allowing higher flexibility, and adapting new construction methods like using adjustable walls and separators. This would enable repartitioning an open plan apartment into various dedicated spaces, the new layout should consider having work and learning areas utilised with sound isolation setups, and separated entrance to introduce a level of sanitation. This would allow keeping our shoes, tools, and shopping bags from contaminating our private space.

Innovative and bold ideas are required to enable multi-tasking spaces in small areas. For example, flexibility in transforming the space for eating to a home-office space and vice versa.

Another challenging topic is finding solutions for low cost and high-density residential and labour complexes. Such environments are usually overpopulated which makes it hard to control and stop the spread of the viruses.

Businesses and offices were severely affected by COVID-19. Offices supporting higher interaction and connectivity were accidentally helping the virus to spread. As a result, most companies had to close their offices and apply remote work procedures, leaving large areas not utilised despite the cost.

During this pandemic more awareness about the necessity of keeping social distancing started to raise. Many questions here to be addressed, how can the Office layout fulfil new quotas or regulations about allowing employees per square meter? Should the office area be larger, allowing the dedicated isolated workstation to each employee? Or smaller, adapting remote work procedures as the core model. For the first model, the high cost needs to be considered, while on the second model the productivity and feasibility of online remote work to be proved. A third model that combines both can provide solutions for both cost and efficiency problems.

In the future offices, many aspects will be reviewed and restructured e.g. sanitised entrances with temperature scanning, Lifts’ sizes and numbers, traditional waiting areas, meeting rooms’ layout, additional hand washing units, self-cleaning bathrooms, antibacterial fabrics and finishing along with reducing of flat surfaces e.g. using copper instead of stainless steel.

Installing ventilation systems that allow filtering and disinfecting air contamination, especially in the air-conditioned working environment.

Additionally, offices need to be equipped with contactless activated security doors and elevators

Dubai’s latest rooftop experience, developed in response to Covid-19, is a drive-in cinema at Mall of the Emirates

using voice commands or face recognition. Smart technology and IoT devices to control office environments like light switches, AC temperature, and curtains.

One fact that we must admit, the world will not be the same as before COVID-19 in terms of gatherings and usage of large public spaces. Malls, airports, schools, gardens, theatres, operas, fitness studios, and even warship houses and temples would be affected.

We should be innovative enough to find new solutions, allowing people to use these spaces safely while keeping the recommended measures and required distancing. This is important as the spiritual and human experience in such places is irreplaceable and should not lose its value and quality. Attending gatherings like sports events, concerts or prayers cannot simply be virtualised.

During the pandemic, we have all witnessed the crash of the health system in many countries under the massive pressure and huge numbers of infected patients. Our health system and its facilities were and will always be the first defence line to such pandemic. Therefore, this should get extra consideration.

The learned lesson is that we need architectural mechanisms to accommodate the high numbers that arise under such a pandemic. A solution

German studio Opposite Office proposes plan to convert unfinished airport into a ‘super hospital’ in Berlin airport

would be introducing modular constructions and prefabricated modules that had been increasingly common. These modules can be used in converting halls, squares, open areas, or public buildings to an emergency temporary hospitals and infection treatment stations.

Architects and city planners need to face future overpopulation problems by targeting horizontal expansion instead of a vertical one. Bringing more concepts and ideas to support normal life continuity during exceptional circumstances. Introducing green architectural elements and lifestyle like more space for using bicycles and sports in the fresh air.

Upgrade infrastructure to empower sustainable development and futuristic smart cities. Such a great example is the continuous efforts taken by the Emirate’s government as one of the pioneer governments in the world, which proved itself against this pandemic and acted in a very wise, smooth, agile, and an effective way to handle the situation.

COVID-19 challenged all of us, but I always believed that challenges are the main motivation for the human to rise and reach higher levels of achievements and at this time I am firmly positive and optimistic about the ability of architecture facing such situation and creating a healthier greener smarter environment for the new generation.

PHOTOVOLTAIC GLASS

Solutions to Make the World a Greener Place

Homayoun Navid

Sales Agent, Energy Glass

About the Author:

Homayoun Navid is currently working with Energy Diamond Company as the Middle East exclusive sales agent of Energy Glass company, Italy. His interest is in making all buildings with sustainability materials. The company has over 70 years of experience in the field of glass worldwide and provides its best experience. The scope of this company is based on various dimensions in the glass industry, including glass façades, energy glass, BIPV glass, solar glass, decorative glass, etc. Navid interest is to make all buildings with sustainability materials.

BAPV is used to refer to photovoltaics that is a retrofit - integrated into the building after construction is complete

PHOTOVOLTAIC GLASS

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are photovoltaic materials that are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or façades. They are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of new buildings as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power, although existing buildings may be retrofitted with similar technology.

The advantage of integrated photovoltaics over more common non-integrated systems is that the initial cost can be offset by reducing the amount spent on building materials and labour that would normally be used to construct the part of the building that the BIPV modules replace. These advantages make BIPV one of the fastest-growing segments of the photovoltaic industry. The term buildingapplied photovoltaics (BAPV) is sometimes used to refer to photovoltaics that is a retrofit – integrated into the building after construction is complete.

Most building-integrated installations are BAPV. Some manufacturers and builders differentiate the new construction BIPV from BAPV.

PV applications for buildings began appearing in the 1970s. Aluminium-framed photovoltaic modules were connected to or mounted on, buildings that were usually in remote areas without access to an electric power grid.

In the 1980s, photovoltaic module add-ons to roofs began being demonstrated. These PV systems were usually installed on a utility-grid-connected building in areas with centralised power stations. In the 1990s, BIPV construction products specially designed to be integrated into a building envelope became commercially available.

A 1998 doctoral thesis by Patrina Eiffert, entitled An Economic Assessment of BIPV, hypothesized that

PV applications for buildings began appearing in the 1970s

one day there would an economic value for trading Renewable Energy Credits (RECs).

A 2011 economic assessment and a brief overview of the history of BIPV by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggests that there may be significant technical challenges to overcome before the installed cost of BIPV is competitive with photovoltaic panels.

However, there is a growing consensus that through their widespread commercialisation, BIPV systems will become the backbone of the zero energy building (ZEB) European target for 2020. Despite the technical promise, social barriers to widespread use have also been identified, such as the conservative culture of the building industry and integration with high-density urban design. These authors suggest enabling long-term use likely depends on effective public policy decisions as much as technological development.

TYPES OF BIPV PRODUCTS

Crystalline silicon solar panels for groundbased and rooftop power plant

Amorphous crystalline silicon thin-film solar PV modules which could be hollow, light, red blue yellow, as glass curtain wall and transparent skylight

CIGS-based (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) thin-film cells on flexible modules laminated to the building envelope element or the CIGS cells are mounted directly onto the building envelope substrate

Double glass solar panels with square cells inside

BIPVs are used to replace conventional building materials in parts of the building envelope such as the roof, skylights, or façades

BUILDING-INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES

Flat Roofs: The most widely installed to date is an amorphous thin-film solar cell integrated to a flexible polymer module which has been attached to the roofing membrane using an adhesive sheet between the solar module back sheet and the roofing membrane. (Clarification needed) Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) technology is now able to deliver cell efficiency of 17% as produced by a US-based company and comparable building-integrated module efficiencies in TPO single-ply membranes by the fusion of these cells by a UK-based company.

Pitched Roofs: Solar roof tiles are (ceramic) roof tiles with integrated solar modules. The ceramic solar roof tile is developed and patented by a Dutch company in 2012.

Modules shaped like multiple roof tiles.

Solar shingles are modules designed to look and act like regular shingles while incorporating a flexible thin-film cell.

It extends normal roof life by protecting insulation and membranes from ultraviolet rays and water degradation. It does this by eliminating condensation because the dew point is kept above the roofing membrane. Metal pitched roofs (both structural and architectural) are now being integrated with PV functionality either by bonding a freestanding flexible module or by heat and vacuum sealing of the CIGS cells directly onto the substrate.

Façade: Façades can be installed on existing buildings, giving old buildings a whole new look. These modules are mounted on the façade of the building, over the existing structure, which can increase the appeal of the building and its resale value.

Glazing: Photovoltaic windows are semitransparent modules that can be used to replace many architectural elements commonly made with glass or similar materials, such as windows and skylights. In addition to producing electric energy, these can create further energy savings due to superior thermal insulation properties and solar radiation control.

ADVANTAGES OF PHOTOVOLTAIC GLASS

Electricity produced by solar cells is clean and silent. Because they do not use fuel other than sunshine, PV systems do not release any harmful air or water pollution into the environment, deplete natural resources, or endanger animals or human health.

Photovoltaic windows are semitransparent modules that can be used to replace many architectural elements commonly made with glass

Photovoltaic systems are quiet and visually unobtrusive.

Small-scale solar plants can take advantage of unused space on rooftops of existing buildings.

PV cells were originally developed for use in space, where repair is extremely expensive, if not impossible. PV still powers nearly every satellite circling the earth because it operates reliably for long periods with virtually no maintenance.

Solar energy is a locally available renewable resource. It does not need to be imported from other regions of the country or across the world. This reduces the environmental impacts associated with transportation and also reduces our dependence on imported oil. And, unlike fuels that are mined and harvested, when we use solar energy to produce the electricity we do not deplete or alter the resource.

A PV system can be constructed to any size based on energy requirements. Furthermore, the owner of a PV system can enlarge or move it if his or her energy needs change. For instance, homeowners can add modules every few years as their energy usage and financial resources grow. Ranchers can use mobile trailer-mounted pumping systems to water cattle as the cattle are rotated to different fields.

PV system can be constructed to any size based on energy requirements