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The study investigated the level of thermal comfort in historical buildings located at a relatively high altitude in the Arabian Desert of Saudi Arabia. The study focused on the impact of the use of thermal mass and orientation on the level of thermal performance at Shubra and Boqri Palaces. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were used in this study, including a questionnaire interview with architecture experts living at the relatively high altitude of Taif city, to obtain data and information from local experts. The computer software TAS EDSL was used along with on-site equipment, such as thermal imaging cameras and data loggers, to observe the physical conditions of the building in terms of its thermal performance. The study revealed that the experts’ age and years of experience were important aspects while collecting data from them during the survey. The use of thermal mass had a slight impact on the indoor air temperature as well as the energy consumption, but it helped in providing thermal comfort. Use of ventilation can improve thermal comfort level. Evaporative cooling technique has a considerable impact on reducing indoor air temperature with 4 °C drop, improving the thermal comfort sensation level. The novelty of this work is that, it links the outcomes of qualitative results of experts with field monitoring as well as computer modelling. This can contribute as method to accurately collect data in similar case studies.

Green architecture emerged as a way to address environmental problems related to buildings. Various methods have been developed to assess environmental performance, such as LEED in the United States, BREEAM in the United Kingdom, and GPRS in Egypt. The accuracy of these methods is highly important, especially considering the global trend toward requiring proof of environmental efficiency for construction permits. However, obtaining accurate results requires taking into account the variables that affect the environmental assessment. These variables include the impact of natural and human changes that occur periodically (the repetition of certain events according to day, month, and year), sequentially (changes over time), and suddenly (disasters and other unexpected events). These relationships are not addressed in current assessment methods. Since assessment has several targets, including developing a system to compare buildings according to a specific, unified scale, designers must compete to meet environmental standards based on a fair comparison; thus, the treatment of several variable effects must be obtained to reach those goals. This study, therefore, proposes an approach for considering the effects of variables when assessing item requirements. By measuring the continuity of meeting the item requirements across different time periods, this approach can achieve higher accuracy and justice in evaluation results than afforded by current methods.

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