High technology or low technology for buildings envelopes in residential buildings in Egypt

Modern technology has greatly affected buildings' envelope, which has a significant impact on the environmental considerations, users comfort and energy consumption. The paper addresses the subject of buildings' envelopes and the external skin configurations, due to its importance as the first element facing the external environment. The contemporary studies of the environmental sustainability have made such a topic quite significant, especially in the context addressed in the research: residential buildings in Alexandria, Egypt. Such a domain has recently generated a broad debate and drawn increased attention among those involved in the design and management processes, owing to the problem of the increasing energy consumption, especially in the residential buildings, which is accompanied by a noticeable lack of awareness among both the designers and householders about the most suitable technology for building envelopes. The aim of this paper is to test some variables of design and construction, so as to determine the appropriate technology for the environmentally-efficient envelopes of the residential buildings. The presented ideas could be of some significance in formulating useful and applied guidelines in the field of architectural design and re-design of residential buildings/projects. The research introduces a comparative discourse of a literature review covering the different definitions and notions of “Low Technology” and “High Technology”, followed by a direct application on a case-specific context. Based on a systematic analysis using an Energy Plus simulation tool, the study concludes a set of statements and guidelines for designers. Keywords: High tech, Low tech, Passive design, Active design, Intelligent façade, Sustainability, Energy efficiency, Thermal comfort, Natural ventilation, Simulation energy model, Economic benefit