New construction material to reduce energy consumption finds graduate research

According to Sahar Arbabioon, who has completed her postgraduate degree from BUiD's Sustainable Design of the Built Environment programme, the face of the city has been changed from low-rise traditional houses with wind towers and massive walls, to high-rise, fully-glazed buildings.

Although this change may look modern, this type of building design conflicts with the local climate. In such hot and humid weather, fully glazed buildings use a vast amount of energy to keep the heat out and cool the interior. Using efficient insulated walls can save large amounts of energy.

"At BUiD, we encourage our students to pursue innovative research that can be applied in key areas of our fast-growing country. This thesis not only applies to the construction industry but also gives back to the community by adapting key findings that allow us to grow and develop in a sustainable way,"

said Professor Bassam Abu Hijleh, Head of Programme, Sustainable Design of the Built Environment, The British University in Dubai.

"To accomplish such a finding has a positive impact on the UAE as a whole, and helps to build the UAE's reputation as an environmentally-conscious society," added Abu Hijleh.

Having studied and analyzed the different products to replace the all-glazed construction (glass curtain) currently used in the UAE, Arbabioon found that a protective panel - the Class PB-EIFS building envelope - possesses high thermal insulation and humidity resistance characteristics that benefit the climate and humidity condition within buildings.

The use of the Class PB-EIFS building envelopes resulted in an eight percent annual reduction of the cooling load - the largest energy consumer of any building. This reflects significant savings in the annual running costs of the building.

"As the UAE's urban development continues to grow at a fast pace, local construction has been influenced by international high technology and building materials that do not necessarily complement the environmental surroundings," added Arbabioon.

The initial cost of the Class PB-EIFS building envelope was significantly lower than that of using full glazing.

It was found the new material is also lighter in weight than the current wall construction arrangements and can be pre-fabricated on or off-site reducing construction time, resulting in further savings.

"This thesis is about choosing the right material for the U.A.E, to use less energy inside the building and to make the city more environmental friendly. Building environmentally-friendly structures is not only financially beneficial, but also helps the future generation for global energy," concluded Arbabioon.