Toward the creation of a bioclimatic habitat model specific to the coastal region the case of tourist living spaces in Bejaia

Abstract

In coastal regions, buildings are inevitably confronted with singular climatic conditions, as illustrated by the example of Béjaïa, where high atmospheric humidity, strong maritime winds and intense sunshine prevail. Faced with these environmental challenges, bioclimatic architecture is emerging as an innovative approach, based on architectural design in symbiosis with the local environment. This methodology aims to optimize the use of natural resources such as sea breezes and solar radiation, helping to reduce energy consumption while ensuring optimum thermal and visual comfort for occupants. The main objective of this research is to identify a housing typology suited to the coastal context of Bejaia, which will be implemented in the final-year project by the design of a group of collective, semi-collective and individual houses in Tichy, in perfect harmony with the specific features of the site. To achieve this, a purely theoretical study was carried out, providing an in-depth understanding of the habitat, the coastline, as well as the bioclimatic approach, its principles and strategies, and comfort. This theoretical analysis was combined with a field study analyzing five typical residences of different typologies on the shore of Béjaïa. The goal was to find the optimum typology for the location and identify its good qualities. To accomplish this goal, three important aspects of bioclimatic design were investigated: building materials, natural light, and natural ventilation. This analysis was based on in situ measurements that were supplemented by numerical simulations using DialuxEvo software for daylight analysis, RWIND for wind analysis, and the Ubakus web interface for building material evaluation, with the results interpreted for each parameter. After undertaking these extensive theoretical and empirical investigations, the findings were carefully applied to the final-year project. Later computer simulations of daylighting and building material properties validated the veracity of the decisions made. Indeed, the obtained results eloquently demonstrate the optimal match between the architectural proposal and the site's environmental constraints, demonstrating the validity of this bioclimatic conceptual approach, which ensures a habitat that provides ideal thermal and visual comfort to its occupants.