Energy-Efficient Envelope Design for High-Rise Apartments in Erbil City

Abstract

The building envelope functions as the primary interface between indoor and outdoor environments, which has long attracted the attention of building physicists and designers due to its dual role in performance and architectural expression. As the external layer of a building, the envelope conveys the design concept and visual identity of a project. Close collaboration with architects is essential to guide design decisions that enhance the thermal performance of the envelope, particularly by identifying and mitigating the dominant pathways of heat gain and heat loss through the building skin. Energy efficiency has become a central objective in the design and construction of numerous buildings. Some projects, such as those certified under the USGBC LEED framework, are formally classified as sustainable based on multiple criteria, including energy performance. However, a considerable number of these buildings fail to achieve optimal operational efficiency, often soon after completion. In this study, a proposed residential building in Erbil city was modelled, using the Park View project as a comparable case study for preliminary envelope design, to illustrate key considerations. Simulation outcomes demonstrated that optimising building orientation, together with an appropriate combination of glazing configuration, window-to-wall ratio, shading strategies, glazing specifications, and wall and roof insulation, led to a 53.6% reduction in annual energy demand. This investigation contributes to the growing body of research showing how simulation-based design can support sustainable building development and long-term energy efficiency. Furthermore, implementing such a high-performance envelope in conventional buildings, particularly high-rise structures, could yield greater energy savings and improved economic returns over the building lifecycle.