4(29) 2014

Article	THE EFFECT OF STREET ORIENTATION AND SURROUNDING BUILDING HEIGHTS ON SOLAR ACCESSIBILITY IN WINTER SEASON IN AMMAN, JORDAN
Authors	Wael Al-Azhari, Myrna Haddadin, Rund Hiyasat, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
Abstract	Solar access in public space, including streets, is an essential aspect that affects human comfort. However, it is affected by the street orientation and the surrounding building heights. In this research, the objective is to examine quantitatively the effect of the orientation of a street and the surrounding buildings’ heights to allow maximum solar accessibility in Amman, Jordan. The results of this research provide precise calculations of the exact buildings’ heights needed for a certain street orientation that benefits both outdoor and indoor solar conditions; providing maximum solar access to the residential building’s façades in winter season. It does so by analyzing the influence of different urban and architectural parameters: street orientation, surrounding buildings’ heights, and solar envelope. Hence, guidelines will be provided for the Municipality of Amman that aims towards optimizing solar accessibility in residential streets of Dahiat Al Rasheed area in Amman, Jordan.
Keywords:	Solar access, urban canyon, street orientation, building heights, residential area
	Article
References	A Comparative Analysis of the Outdoor Thermal Environment of the Urban Vernacular and the Contemporary Development: Case Studies in Dhaka. Ahmed, Khandaker Shabbir. 1994. [ed.] et al Etzion Y. Dead Sea, Israel: s.n., 1994. 11th PLEA conference (Architecture of the Extremes). pp. 341 - 348. Ahmed, Khandaker Shabbir. 2003. Comfort in Urban Spaces: Defining the Boundaries of Outdoor Thermal Comfort for the Tropical Urban Environments. Energy and Buildings. 2003, Vol. 35, pp. 103 - 110. Architecture, CLEAR: Comfortable Low Energy. Street Orientation. CLEAR: Comfortable Low Energy Architecture. [Online] http://www.new-learn.info/packages/clear/visual/buildings/site/orientation.html Coluccia, Andrew and Horvata, Miljana. 2012. Making Toronto Solar Ready: Proposing Urban Forms for the Integration of Solar Strategies. Energy Procedia. 2012, Vol. 30, pp. 1090 - 1098. Johansson, Erik. 2006. Influence of urban geometry on outdoor thermal comfort in a hot dry climate: A study in Fez, Morocco. Building and Environment. 2006, Vol. 41. Knowels, Ralph L. 1999. The Solar Envelope. 1999. Nikolopuolou, Marialena and Lykoudis, Spyros. 2006. Thermal Comfort in Outdoor Urban Spaces: Analysis across different Europian Countries. Building and Environment. 2006, Vol. 41, 11, pp. 1455 - 1470. Van Esch, M. M.E., Loomana, R.H.J. and de Bruin-Hordijka, G.J. 2012. The effects of Urban and Building Design Parameters on Solar Access to the Urban Canyon and the Potential for Direct Passive Solar Heating Strategies. Energy and Buildings. 2012, Vol. 47.