1. MMC
  2. All Volumes and Issues
  3. Volume 11, Number 3, 2024
  4. The analysis of occupants' thermal comfort in a residential building in Tangier, Morocco

The analysis of occupants' thermal comfort in a residential building in Tangier, Morocco

MMC.
2024;
Volume 11, Number 3
: pp. 752–762
https://doi.org/10.23939/mmc2024.03.752
Received: January 22, 2024
Revised: September 07, 2024
Accepted: September 10, 2024

Abidouche A., Kaddouri H., Hamdoui S., Ait Msaad A., Driouch I., Saidi Hassani A. M.  The analysis of occupants' thermal comfort in a residential building in Tangier, Morocco.  Mathematical Modeling and Computing. Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 752–762 (2024)

Authors:
  1. A. Abidouche
  2. H. Kaddouri
  3. S. Hamdaoui
  4. A. Ait Msaad
  5. I. Driouch
  6. A. M. Saidi Hassani
1
Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Innovative Technologies Laboratory, High School of Technology
2
Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Experimentation and Modelling Team in Mechanics and Energy Systems, National School of Applied Sciences
3
Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Innovative Technologies Laboratory, High School of Technology
4
Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Innovative Technologies Laboratory, High School of Technology
5
Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Experimentation and Modelling Team in Mechanics and Energy Systems, National School of Applied Sciences
6
Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Experimentation and Modelling Team in Mechanics and Energy Systems, National School of Applied Sciences

Bioclimatic design is currently one of the most important steps in passive building design adapted to outdoor climatic conditions.  However, the Moroccan Thermal Building Regulations (RTCM) primarily focus on the building envelope and its energy performance, often overlooking occupant comfort.  To address this gap, a bioclimatic analysis of the Mediterranean climate in Tangier was conducted to determine the percentage of thermal comfort naturally provided by this climate and to identify suitable passive strategies for buildings in the region.  The results indicate that Tangier's climate can provide up to 28% thermal comfort.  Consequently, the most effective passive strategies for buildings in Tangier include shading techniques, high thermal mass, internal heat gains, and direct passive heating.  Furthermore, implementing these strategies can enhance occupant comfort by 6% and reduce the building's energy demand by 11.74%.

bioclimatic design
building thermal regulation
energy performance
Mediterranean climate
thermal comfort
passive strategies
  1. Fanney H., Healy W. M.  Design challenges of the NIST net zero energy residential test facility.  (2014).
  2. Azouagh N., El Melhaoui S.  Mathematical modeling and statistical analysis of Moroccan mean annual rainfall using EXPAR processes.  Mathematical Modeling and Computing.  10 (3), 607–616 (2023).
  3. Charkovska N. V., Bun R. A., Nahorski Z., Horabik J.  Modelling GHG emissions in the mineral products industry in Poland: An uncertainty analysis.  Mathematical Modeling and Computing.  2 (1), 16–26 (2015).
  4. Kinakh V., Oda T., Bun R., Novitska O.  Mitigating geolocation errors in nighttime light satellite data and global CO$_2$ emission gridded data.  Mathematical Modeling and Computing.  8 (2), 304–316 (2021).
  5. Bouzaachane K., Darouichi A., El Guarmah E.  Deep learning for photovoltaic panels segmentation.  Mathematical Modeling and Computing.  10 (3), 638–650 (2023).
  6. Saad Azzem L., Bellel N.  Thermal and physico-chemical characteristics of plaster reinforced with wheat straw for use as insulating materials in building.  Buildings.  12 (8), 1119 (2022).
  7. Ejaz M. F., Riaz M. R., Azam R., Hameed R., Fatima A., Deifalla A. F., Mohamed A. M.  Physico-mechanical characterization of gypsum-agricultural waste composites for developing eco-friendly false ceiling tiles.  Sustainability.  14 (16), 9797 (2022).
  8. Elaouzy Y., El Fadar A.  Energy, economic and environmental benefits of integrating passive design strategies into buildings: A review.  Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.  167, 112828 (2022).
  9. Elaouzy Y., El Fadar A.  Impact of key bioclimatic design strategies on buildings' performance in dominant climates worldwide.  Energy for Sustainable Development.  68, 532–549 (2022).
  10. Manzano-Agugliaro F., Montoya F. G., Sabio-Ortega E., García-Cruz A.  Review of bioclimatic architecture strategies for achieving thermal comfort.  Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.  49, 736–755 (2015).
  11. Evans J. M.  From meteorological data to bioclimatic design.  30 years of the Mahoney tables.  Electronic Proceedings of the 16th Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture (PLEA). Brisbane (1999).
  12. Givon B.  Comfort, climate analysis and building design guidelines.  Energy and Buildings.  18 (1), 11–23 (1992).
  13. Charai M., Sghiouri H., Mezrhab A., Karkri M.  Bioclimatic Building Design Analysis. Case Study: Oujda, Morocco.  2019 7th International Renewable and Sustainable Energy Conference (IRSEC). 1–6 (2019).
  14. Reglement Thermique de Construction au Maroc. RTCM. (Thermal Building Regulations in Morocco).
  15. Olesen B. W., Parsons K. C.  Introduction to thermal comfort standards and to the proposed new version of EN ISO 7730.  Energy and Buildings.  34 (6), 537–548 (2002).
  16. ASHRAE Standard.  Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy 55–2004.  American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. 1–34 (2004).