Article Sidebar

Submitted
August 8, 2025
Accepted
January 8, 2026
Published
August 10, 2026
Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 18 Download : 3

Main Article Content

Abstract

Despite the rapid increase in energy demand in Palestinian office buildings and the widespread, imitation-driven adoption of fully glazed façades, locally adapted façade design and retrofit guidelines remain absent. Consequently, a significant research gap exists in understanding the performance-based potential of glazing retrofit strategies to enhance thermal performance, reduce heating and cooling loads, and improve energy and cost effectiveness under the specific climatic and political conditions of Palestinian cities. This research thoroughly assesses the energy and cost impacts associated with retrofitting glazed façades in office buildings across Palestine, aiming to develop environmental retrofit solutions adaptable to the specific microclimatic conditions of Hebron city. Simulations tested shading devices, advanced glazing types, and multi-glazed skin façades, both separately and in combination, to identify the best solutions for improving the overall energy and cost performance of glazed façades. Three office buildings were selected as case studies, each with a single-glazed facade facing a different orientation. Cases were simulated using Design Builder software. The results show the best retrofit option for each case to save the most energy and obtain long-term financial benefits. These two factors were the focus of the evaluation. The results suggest a combination that works well in function and cost, achieving energy savings between 38% and 81% in the retrofit scenarios, depending on the specific conditions. In terms of cost, the study shows that applying the optimal retrofit scenario can lead to annual savings of approximately $149 to $442. This insight encourages engineers and investors to adopt a cost-effective, environmentally friendly approach for improving energy and cost efficiency in existing office buildings.

Keywords

Energy-cost optimization Energy efficiency Environmental Retrofitting Highly Glazed Facades Office buildings Temperate Climate

Article Details

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Bader Alatawneh, Sameeha Hushlamoun

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
  4. Articles and all related material published are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Hushlamoun, S., & Alatawneh, B. (2026). Environmental Retrofit and Energy Performance Scenarios Of Building’s Skin In Temperate Climates: Case Of Office Buildings In Palestine. Journal of Architectural Research and Design Studies, 10(2), 183–202. https://doi.org/10.20885/jars.vol10.iss2.art1
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX

References

  1. Aksoy, T., & Inalli, M. (2006). Impacts of some building passive design parameters on heating demand for a cold region. Building and Environment, 41(12), 1742-1754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2005.07.011
  2. Asfour, O. S. (2014). Towards a Sustainable Housing in Palestine. In Energy and the Environment 2013: The Inaugural European Conference on Sustainability (pp. 148-157). Brighton, UK.
  3. Bokel, R. (2007). The effect of window position and window size on the energy demand for heating, cooling, and electric lighting. In Building Simulation (pp. 117-121). Delft, BS.
  4. BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2019: an unsustainable path. (2019). BP – British Petroleum. https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/news-and-insights/press-releases/bp-statistical-review-of-world-energy-2019.html
  5. Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, September 25). Industrial Revolution Key Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/summary/Industrial-Revolution-Key-Facts
  6. UN – United Nations Environment Programme (2016). Sustainable Consumption and Production National Action Plan in Palestine 2016 - SCP National Action Plan. SwitchMed Programme. UN Environment Document Repository. https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/33982.
  7. Gunasekaran, U., Emani, P., & Malini, A. (2010). Facades of Tall Buildings - State of the Art. Modern Applied Science, 4(12). 116-125. https://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/mas/article/view/7776
  8. IEA – International Energy Agency (2023). Tracking Clean Energy Progress 2023, IEA – International Energy Agency. https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings
  9. IEA – International Energy Agency (2023). Tracking Clean Energy Progress 2023. IEA – International Energy Agency. https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings/building-envelopes
  10. Kadlubowsk, R., & Yates, D. (2009). The Building Envelope: Energy Efficiency and Economics. Journal of architectural technology, 26(4). Journal-Vol-26-N-4-FINAL.pdf (hoffarch.com)
  11. Mohajan, H. (2019). The First Industrial Revolution: Creation of a New Global Human Era. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5(4), 377-387.
  12. Njore, M.M. (2019). West Bank and Gaza - Energy efficiency action plan for 2020-2030. Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/851371475046203328/West-Bank-and-Gaza-Energy-efficiency-action-plan-for-2020-2030
  13. PIPA (2022). Average prices of electricity in Hebron Governorate –(nis) - 2022. PIPA -The Palestinian Investment Promotion Agency. http://www.pipa.ps/page.php?id=2351eey2314734Y2351ee
  14. Poirazis, H., Blomsterberg, Å., & Wall, M. (2008). Energy simulations for glazed office buildings in Sweden. Energy and Buildings, 40(7), 1161-1170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2007.10.011.
  15. Qahtan, A.M. (2019). Thermal performance of a double-skin façade exposed to direct solar radiation in the tropical climate of Malaysia: A case study. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, 14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2019.100419
  16. Saroglou, T., Theodosiou, T., Givoni, B., & Meir, I.A. (2019). A study of different envelope scenarios towards low-carbon high-rise buildings in the Mediterranean climate - can DSF be part of the solution? Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.06.044
  17. Timmeren, A. (2009). Climate Integrated Design (Climate iD) of building Skins: Green Building Innovation. In the BVA conference. Brugge, Belgium. https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.2299.0726
  18. Tzempelikos A., & Athienitis A.K. (2005). Integrated thermal and daylighting analysis and design of office buildings. ASHRAE Trans., 111(1), 227-238.
  19. Vries, P. (2008). The Industrial Revolution. Encyclopaedia of the Modern World, 4. 158-161.
  20. Zhang, C., & Yang, J. (2020). Second Industrial Revolution: A History of Mechanical Engineering. 137–195. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0833-2_5