Designing and Testifying an Extendable Shading Device to Mitigate the Thermal Discomfort of Air Temperature: The Case of a Hot and Arid Region of Makkah City

Abstract

The aim of this research is to analyse a shading system that is proposed to cover a pedestrian route in the holy sites of Makkah. Makkah in Saudi Arabia is one of the most famous and sacred cities in the world. It is the Muslims' holiest place, where every Muslim is required to visit once- if capable- in their lifetime for the religious journey of Hajj: the fifth pillar of Islam. There is a need to shade pilgrims visiting Makkah as it experiences a very hot and dry climate, where temperature exceeds 43°C. It has a high density and is visited by millions of pilgrims every year. While visiting for their religious mission, pilgrims move throughout several sacred sites in the city; the Holy Mosque of Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifah, and Arafat. This movement exposes pilgrims to high air and radiant temperatures and high levels of solar radiation which, in turn, can lead to extreme thermal overheating and even a risk to life. The need to find a solution to adapt to the hot weather in an urban context is crucial. This research study will approach a possible solution for an expandable shade that can adapt to the local climate and improve it. Through analysing the microclimate of an urban context in Makkah, this research will attempt to model and simulate an adaptive shading system that expands and retract when not needed to improve the microclimate of the designated area in Makkah. The results show that there is a significant increase in the thermal comfort when the shades were applied. The difference in the average yearly operative temperature was about 15.873%. In the 10th of August ‘around Arafat Day’, the most populated day in Hajj, the results of the simulations show about 35.0427% difference between the shaded area and the non-shaded area in the peak times. In the 9 th of August, when the actual Hajj starts’. The difference in radiation was about 163.693% between the affected area and non-affected area by the shades.