The effect of window configuration on passive cooling in mosque interiors

Abstract

Cooling energy demand in buildings has more than doubled since 2000. Typically, the energy cost of a naturally ventilated building is 40% less than that of an air-conditioned building. Especially, a typical mosque's cooling energy needs are the biggest part that is consumed in the summertime. Mosque buildings are designed as buildings where the floor height is 5-6 times higher than the human scale. This height allows openings at various levels to be designed that can be used for natural ventilation. However, today, the windows that are at higher elevations in mosque buildings in Türkiye are designed as fixed windows with aesthetic concerns, and the potential for natural ventilation is ignored. Within the scope of the study, three different window configuration scenarios were modeled in ANSYS Fluent software, and the effect of natural ventilation on temperatures was tested. The first is the type in which openings close to the ground are designed, which represents the common design used in Türkiye; the second is ventilation with openings designed only at a higher level; and the third is ventilation with openings designed at two separate levels. In three different models, the inlet and outlet openings are the same size, but their places change. Velocity and temperature contour maps show that stack ventilation is quite efficient for mosque buildings. This study indicates that designing openings at higher elevations in mosque buildings creates significant differences in natural ventilation and lowers the air conditioning needs.