DOUBLE-SKIN FAÇADE IN HIGH-RISE BUILDING, FORMATION AND CONSTRUCTION IN ARAB REGION

In High-Rise building type, glass curtain wall facade is an inherent characteristic of this type.

The skyscraper attained the status of a symbolic building form representing progress in

science, economic and technological power. The rapid takeover of this type at the beginning

of the 1990s from the United States and putting it in Arab countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia,

United Arab Emirates, …without any consideration of the environmental conditions or

cultural background resulted in a series of problems especially in energy consumption, indoor

environment, visual comfort and running/maintenance costs. That pushes scientist and

designers towards new technical solutions in the High Raise building type.

The aims of the research is to define potential practical benefits of applying the double skin

façade (DSF) in high rise building type in Arab region and to analyze its concept, types and

construction. Second is to establish (factors) criteria that help the designer to choose the

appropriate type and its system of construction due to the project conditions.

The paper begins with studies the concept of the Double-skin facades, its advantage and its

different types, which it based on the type of ventilation, the partitioning of the façade and the

ventilation mode. Then the paper analyses the construction types and forms of double skin

façades. As a result the paper summaries the basic steps to design and made a criteria for

choosing double skin façades in Arab region. The paper ended with analyzed example of

High rise Building in Kuwait, 2004.