Vernacular architecture of Oman: Features that enhance thermal comfort achieved within buildings

Modern building developments in the Arab Gulf States have been accompanied by a recent rapid abandonment of adhering to energy-thrift principles as adopted in the vernacular architecture of the region. This has occurred despite the success of these types of buildings in providing thermal comport, by natural means for many hundreds of years, in the harsh environment of the region. The consequence of this abandonment has been the rapid increase in electricity-generating capacity to match demand (of which, for example, at present in Oman, more than 70% nationally is used for air-conditioning modern, energy-inefficient buildings). Considerable parts of these electricity loads represent unnecessary financial burdens upon the nations of the region. This study concentrates on how the vernacular architecture in one of the states in the region, namely the Sultanate of Oman, has in the past utilised successfully ambient-energy sources for achieving thermally comfortable artificial environments. To this end, the country has been considered as four significantly different climatic regions, namely, the coastal, mountainous, desert and southern regions. Lessons have been drawn from the performances of the various vernacular buildings in these regions: if implemented the resulting understanding should help lower the energy consumptions of modern buildings exposed to such climates.