‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

Research Aim

This research aims to investigate the thermal performance in buildings in Oman. It will focus on one
building type which is mosques. And it will also integrate the traditional heating and cooling
techniques used in old and antique buildings.

Research Objective

Research Novelty

Sustainability and energy efficiency have been gaining a huge interest globally due to the ever
increasing numbers in pollution that is increasing exponentially ever since the industrial revolution.
People have also increasing needs. Where there very limited needs to electricity in the past, it is now
not imaginable to live without electricity and internet and air conditioning. In regards to air
conditioning, it is considered to be the most energy demanding part of any building nowadays. This
research aims to investigate the thermal performance in buildings in Oman. Oman has been very
active in sustainability especially in the past 10 years. They joined forces with the UN to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG 11 which is “Sustainable Cities and Communities”.
Buildings are an integral parts of cities as well as the process towards sustainable cities.

https://wfuna.org/mission-possible/sustainable-development-goals

In 2017, Oman has put forward the 2040 vision. It outlines the 13 top priorities of the country to be
achieved by 2040 which are called the “National Priorities”. Two of the National Priorities are the
“Sustainable Development in Governorates and cities” and “Natural Resources and Environmental
Sustainability”. This research aims to contribute to both these National Priorities. A more energy
efficient mosque building would contribute towards a more sustainable city and also towards a more
sustainable environment by cutting down in energy consumption.

https://www.2040.om/en/national-priorities/

This research is focusing on energy efficient and sustainability in buildings in Oman. Although Oman
has been very active in many fronts when it comes to energy efficiency and sustainability, there is
still a quite a gap of knowledge when it comes to energy efficient buildings in Oman. In order to
generate a more valuable research, it was decided to choose mosques as a case study. Mosques
come in a standard rectangular shape and size that replicates across the country. There are more
than 16000 mosques across the country. By making them more energy efficient, it would greatly
contribute to much needed reduction of energy consumption. Another aspect about mosques is
their simple rectangular design. If we study them more and conclude with ways to make them more
energy efficient, not only it could help potentially all 16000 mosques in the country, but it could also
help any other building in Oman with a similar shape or purpose. For example, retail buildings share
some characteristics as they are public and vast in size. Residential buildings share some
characteristics as they are both usually made with the same material (brick and mortar).

The other aspect that this research aims to touch upon is the sustainable heating and cooling
techniques used in traditional buildings. Since the research focuses on mosques, the research will
take 6 mosques as case studies. Three mosques would be recently built, while the other three would
be 500 years old or more mosques. By assessing the outcome of the integration of two sets of
mosques from two different eras, it could create new knowledge in the field of building energy
efficiency in Oman. By energy modelling all six mosques, the comparison could open up possibilities
of using old methods in new buildings to achieve sustainability and also arrive to recommendations
implementable in different types of buildings not restricted to mosques. This means the conclusion
could contribute to the sustainability drive in Oman and in the region in a number of different fronts.