A field study compares the use of glass with traditional materials in the context of Dubai. A field study compares the use of glass with traditional materials in the context of Dubai

Nada  Salih

doi:10.54878/ns25w167

Articles

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025): Emirati Journal of Civil Engineering and Applications

A field study compares the use of glass with traditional materials in the context of Dubai. A field study compares the use of glass with traditional materials in the context of Dubai

Nada Salih

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Submitted: December 8, 2025
Published: 2025-12-29

Abstract

Dubai's climate at 25.16°N and 55.18°E is hot and humid. The city is famous for its modern glass buildings. This paper argues that advanced glass does not worsen the urban heat island effect in Dubai. The methodology involves a high-rise building with a glass façade. Thermal cameras and heat loggers were used to collect data. The data were organized using a mathematical equation and analyzed with a Python program. Results are available at (https://github.com).

References

Afifa Mohammed , Evangelia Topriska, Gloria Pignatta, Mattheos Santamouris, 2020 , Canopy Urban Heat Island and Its Association with Climate Conditions in Dubai, UAE , Climate MDPI
Alberto Sangiorgio, Arianna Brambilla, Annalisa Andaloro, Eugenia Gasparri, Francesco Goia, Gabriele Lobaccaro, 2022 , Rethinking Building Skins: Transformative Technologies and Research Trajectories, Elsevier
Bahador Ziaeemehr, Hua Ge 1 , Michael Lacasse, Travis Moore, Zahra Jandaghian, 2023 , Increasing Solar Reflectivity of Building Envelope Materials to Mitigate Urban Heat Islands: State-of-the-Art Review, Buildings (MDPI)
David Crichton, Fergus Nicol, Sue Roaf, 2009, Adapting BUILDINGS AND CITIES FOR CLIMATE CHANGE Elsevier Ltd. Book
Fritz Wagner, Roger W. Caves, 2018 Livable Cities: From a Global Perspective, Routledge Book.
Gerald Mills, 2007,Cities as Agents of global change ,International Journal of Climatology.
Hazim Awbi, Mat Santamouris, Napoleon Enteria, 2020 , Building in Hot and Humid Regions, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
Ismail Boukholda, Mohamed Boujelbene, Mouldi Ben Amara, Nima Khalilpoor, Tawfik Guesmi, 2023 , Solar Reflection and Effect of roof surfaces material characteristics in heat island mitigation: toward green building and Urban Sustainability in Ha’il, Saudi Arabia, Oxford University Press.
John M. Dialesandro, Stephen M. Wheeler, Yaser Abunnasr, 2019 , Urban heat island behaviors in Dryland Regions, Environ. Res. Commun.
Kheir Al-Kodmany, 2020 Tall Buildings and the City: Improving the Understanding of Placemaking, Imageability, and Tourism, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
Mat Santamouris, 2006 , ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN OF URBAN BUILDINGS , Earthscan in the UK.
Matteos Santamouris, Napoleon Enteria, Ursula Eicker, 2021 Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mitigation Hot and Humid Regions, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
Niall Buckley, Gerald Mills, Christoph Reinhart, Zachary Michael Berzolla, 2021, Using urban building energy modelling (UBEM) to Support the New European Union’s Green Deal: Case Study of Dublin, Ireland, Energy & Buildings.
Ronnen Levinson, 2023, Policy Recommendation from IEA EBC annex80 , Resilient Cooling of Building , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Ron Bakker, 2020 Smart Building Technology and the Design of the Built Enviroment RIBA Publishing.

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Keywords

UHI
thermal camera (TC)
heat logger (HL)
heat index (HI) glass (G)
concrete (CON)
equations

How to Cite

Salih , N. . (2025). A field study compares the use of glass with traditional materials in the context of Dubai. A field study compares the use of glass with traditional materials in the context of Dubai. Emirati Journal of Civil Engineering and Applications, 3(2), 102-116. https://doi.org/10.54878/ns25w167

Copyright

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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[1] Afifa Mohammed , Evangelia Topriska, Gloria Pignatta, Mattheos Santamouris, 2020 , Canopy Urban Heat Island and Its Association with Climate Conditions in Dubai, UAE , Climate MDPI

[2] Alberto Sangiorgio, Arianna Brambilla, Annalisa Andaloro, Eugenia Gasparri, Francesco Goia, Gabriele Lobaccaro, 2022 , Rethinking Building Skins: Transformative Technologies and Research Trajectories, Elsevier

[3] Bahador Ziaeemehr, Hua Ge 1 , Michael Lacasse, Travis Moore, Zahra Jandaghian, 2023 , Increasing Solar Reflectivity of Building Envelope Materials to Mitigate Urban Heat Islands: State-of-the-Art Review, Buildings (MDPI)

[4] David Crichton, Fergus Nicol, Sue Roaf, 2009, Adapting BUILDINGS AND CITIES FOR CLIMATE CHANGE Elsevier Ltd. Book

[5] Fritz Wagner, Roger W. Caves, 2018 Livable Cities: From a Global Perspective, Routledge Book.

[6] Gerald Mills, 2007,Cities as Agents of global change ,International Journal of Climatology.

[7] Hazim Awbi, Mat Santamouris, Napoleon Enteria, 2020 , Building in Hot and Humid Regions, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

[8] Ismail Boukholda, Mohamed Boujelbene, Mouldi Ben Amara, Nima Khalilpoor, Tawfik Guesmi, 2023 , Solar Reflection and Effect of roof surfaces material characteristics in heat island mitigation: toward green building and Urban Sustainability in Ha’il, Saudi Arabia, Oxford University Press.

[9] John M. Dialesandro, Stephen M. Wheeler, Yaser Abunnasr, 2019 , Urban heat island behaviors in Dryland Regions, Environ. Res. Commun.

[10] Kheir Al-Kodmany, 2020 Tall Buildings and the City: Improving the Understanding of Placemaking, Imageability, and Tourism, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

[11] Mat Santamouris, 2006 , ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN OF URBAN BUILDINGS , Earthscan in the UK.

[12] Matteos Santamouris, Napoleon Enteria, Ursula Eicker, 2021 Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mitigation Hot and Humid Regions, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

[13] Niall Buckley, Gerald Mills, Christoph Reinhart, Zachary Michael Berzolla, 2021, Using urban building energy modelling (UBEM) to Support the New European Union’s Green Deal: Case Study of Dublin, Ireland, Energy & Buildings.

[14] Ronnen Levinson, 2023, Policy Recommendation from IEA EBC annex80 , Resilient Cooling of Building , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

[15] Ron Bakker, 2020 Smart Building Technology and the Design of the Built Enviroment RIBA Publishing.

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