D. Comparison and discussion
This step will include discussion about the following items with suggestion for improving:
- Egyptian laws in preservation and conservation
- Egyptian code of energy efficiency of residential buildings
- Suggestions for several retrofit actions in the historic residential buildings “Ottoman period” in Cairo.
EXPECTED RESULT
Research aims to achieve the following items:
- KNOWLEDGE about the Ottoman houses in Cairo and other regions. This knowledge includes construction system, material, etc.
- ANALYSING the concepts, methodologies and tools used in similar built heritage or European conservation projects and how they succeed in achieving the balance between thermal comfort requirements and conservation principles.
- ADAPTING the achieved methodology for optimizing appropriate tools to evaluate the thermal comfort inside houses in hot arid zones.
- APPLYING these methodologies in case studies of houses in Ottoman period in Cairo after matching the concepts alongside with each case.
- DISCUSSING & EVALUATING the appropriate new function (re-use) for these houses.
- CONCLUDING the method that is used in the PhD.
- CREATING GUIDELINES for conserving the historic houses in hot arid zones.
- EXPANDING the guidelines to other Ottoman houses in other regions
Finally, those concepts shall respect the thermal comfort factors during the restoration work. In addition, the discussion of the balance between conservation issues and buildings performance issues under the current conservation laws in Egypt must be considered.
RESEARCH IMPORTANCE
This research introduces the importance of applying thermal comfort concepts as a indispensable priority in the conservation of historic residential buildings especially in the hot arid zones. These buildings were designed to be naturally ventilated, so thermal comfort factor shall be considered as an essential requirement.
a) It suggests suitable methodologies and tools to apply this factor in the natural ventilated historical buildings before and after doing the restoration work to avoid damaging or malfunctioning of the historical buildings.
b) It discusses the reuse strategy in Ottoman buildings to find appropriate best practices and to extend that strategy for other historical residential buildings.
c) It reveals the differences between the Egyptian conservation laws with respect to the European laws.
d) It supposes to reduce the energy demand in existing historical houses in Cairo.
RESEARCH PROGRESS and CURRENT STATE