2.3.6. Villa "B" in 6th of October City

Another successful modern example of a residential building that uses a windcatcher is a villa designed by Prof. Dr. Ahmed Reda Abdeen located in 6th of October City (Figure 28a). This villa also utilizes passive design techniques for cooling. The villa consists of three floors in addition to the basement. The windcatcher that is studied in this villa rises above the roof by 1.5 m and is oriented north-westward (Figure 28b). It works alongside a solar chimney, which is painted black to further enhance the natural ventilation in the villa's indoor spaces (Figure 29). Both features are connected using underground tubes, as can be seen in Figure 29c. Because the solar chimney is painted black, the air flowing inside it is at a higher temperature due to the color's high absorption of heat. This forced increase in temperature causes the unwanted hot air to be vented upward faster. This hot air is then replaced with cooler air coming from the windcatcher. As in Villa A, this windcatcher also pulls the outdoor air into the underground tubes where it circulates to cool down, and then it is led upward to be provided inside the rooms. This process successfully cools the rooms in the villa without the need for mechanical cooling [38].

(**a**) (**b**)

**Figure 28.** (**a**) Villa B layout (in red) (modified by authors, adapted from [38]). (**b**) Villa B elevation.

2.3.7. The American University in Cairo New Campus (2008):

Finally, the AUC campus master planned by CDC Abdel Halim and Sasaki and Associates, specifically, the School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE), which was designed by Sasaki and Associates, offers two full-scale prototypes of windcatchers [39]. Both towers face the same direction, as shown in Figure 30, and are located over semi-enclosed atria that open on courtyards and have a similar configuration, where both are four-sided square plans with interior cross partitions. However, they differ in size (height and side length) and interior and exterior finishes. Moreover, Tower A is a straight-tower chimney with fixed metal louvers (Figure 31a), while Tower B features an inclined tower with operational louvers (Figure 31b). Both towers provide natural ventilation to the connected spaces, which decreases the use of mechanical cooling.

**Figure 30.** Site plan for the SSE building at AUC (obtained from Google Earth and adapted by the authors).

**Figure 31.** (**a**) Tower A is a straight-tower chimney with fixed metal louvers and (**b**) Tower B is an inclined tower with functional louvers.

#### **3. Case studies from the Middle East (Old and New)**

*3.1. Historical Case Studies from the Middle East*

3.1.1. The Tower of Dolatabad Windcatcher, Iran

Acknowledged as a world heritage site by UNESCO, the Dolatabad Garden in Yazd is home to Iran's tallest wind turbine with a 34 m height, which was rebuilt after it collapsed in the 1960s. The eight-sided wind tower is used to ventilate the building by sucking the air that flows inside the building and passing it over a small rocky pool through the water jet. It is then is channeled to other rooms, as seen in Figure 32 [40].

**Figure 32.** (**a**) A section through the building and windcatcher (modified by the authors; adapted from [40]). (**b**) Photograph showing the tower by Bernard Gagnon under a GNU Free Documentation License.

#### 3.1.2. The Ganjali-Khan Square Windcatcher, Iran (1596–1621)

The Ganjali-Khan complex in Iran consists of a wide rectangular square with 50 × 100 m dimensions (Figure 33). This square comprises important public and semipublic buildings such as a caravanserai on the eastern side, a mosque on the northeastern side, a bathhouse to the south, a water reservoir and school to the west, and a mint to the north. The windcatcher, the tallest element in the square, is located near the north entrance and is a four-sided square shape decorated with brick and tilework. It is attached to the single-floor arch lobby connected to the courtyard (Figure 33b) [41].

**Figure 33.** (**a**) A 3D isometric drawing showing the placement of the windcatcher in the Ganjali-Khan Square (recreated by the authors; based on [41]). (**b**) Photograph showing the tower by Cyrus the Great under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.
