Let there be light! Investigating vernacular daylighting in Moroccan heritage hammams for rehabilitation, benchmarking and energy saving

Sibley, Magda ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1629-2995 2018. Let there be light! Investigating vernacular daylighting in Moroccan heritage hammams for rehabilitation, benchmarking and energy saving. Sustainability 10 (11) , 3984. 10.3390/su10113984

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Abstract

This paper provides the first study of vernacular daylighting provision in Moroccan heritage public bathhouses in order to rehabilitate it for experiential authenticity, energy saving and improved users’ well-being. The analysis of a representative sample of 13 still working hammams reveals recurrent patterns of oculi numbers and configurations. These consist of one to three rows of eight circular roof openings (oculi) of 18 to 20 cm diameter, arranged along the roof vault of each bathing space. The ratio of total roof openings’ area to internal floor area rarely exceeds 2%. Synchronised measurements of horizontal illuminance on the roof and inside the bathing spaces in a case study hammam were conducted in July and August 2016, after rehabilitating all roof oculi. Recorded levels indicated that maximum horizontal illuminance never exceeds 60 lx. The calculation and plotting of daylight factor based on real data reveal levels under 2% and a sudden decline in the hot room early afternoon due to steam accumulation. The paper provides the first benchmark of vernacular daylight rehabilitation in Moroccan heritage hammams and the illuminance it affords. It introduces an innovative combination of historical, architectural and building science methodologies that can be extended to other heritage building types.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Architecture
Additional Information:	This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	2071-1050
Funders:	Ahrc
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	8 February 2019
Date of Acceptance:	28 October 2018
Last Modified:	07 May 2023 00:37
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/119338

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