Abstract:
The tourism sector accounts for 10.4% of global GDP and 319 million jobs, one of fastest rates of growth of all sectors worldwide. Hotels are one of the many actors that play a vital role in the industry as a whole. With this considered, it is necessary setting up viable operational practices as well as educating consumers on sustainable behaviors. External shading system is considered as one of the main passive elements providing environmental and socio-economic benefits but also aesthetic values in buildings. However, researches on this topic have been mostly conducted for office buildings, and there is a literature gap regarding the impact of SDs on hotel buildings. The aim of this study is to further estimate the impact of SDs on the thermal efficiency of hotel buildings in the Mediterranean climate. Several parameters in the design, such as window-to-wall ratio, orientation of the building, and climate are considered essential for determining efficient placement of SDs. The results highlight the efficiency of SDs strategies achieving a significant range of energy reduction from 20% up to 80 % for 100% window-to-wall ratio scenario, with 2.7 °C up to 5 °C indoor air temperature decrease in the summer period. The significance of this study lies in providing results providing a fundamental framework for early design decision-making phases.
