Residential buildings in the Sultanate of Oman are among the largest consumers of energy due to their architectural layouts, which may not be suitable for the local environment. However, for thousands of years, traditional architecture has helped ensure that the temperature indoors is lower than outside. This poses a challenge to contemporary architects as they lack the knowledge to develop buildings that resemble traditional houses. However, traditional structures, such as the Khandaq House or the Harat Qasra, may provide insightful solutions. In this context, Dr. Haider Khan has investigated this issue and come up with concrete results for architects and building designers to consider when designing future homes.

His study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of passive cooling strategies, including the natural ventilation and thermal mass of buildings. It also sought to examine the relationship between the urban fabric, walkability, and heat gain in neighbouring dwellings, where the local climate, plants, water bodies, and shading constitute elements of the relationship. In examining the impact of different architectural components, such as room configuration, opening design, and wind traps, on the thermal comfort of dwelling occupants, new research methods were tested, specifically computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which simulates a full-scale building inside a wind tunnel in the atmospheric boundary layer.

The research methodology involved an analysis of traditional dwellings, urban architectural fabric, and structural design, covering diverse dwellings and communities that were primarily located around the densely populated city of Muscat.

The CFD model was used for simulating the partially deteriorated Khandaq House and Harat Qasra. The model can simulate a variety of physics, including solar radiation and its interactions with walls, natural ventilation and cooling via sea breezes, and evaporation from water bodies. The program was used with an atmospheric boundary layer to model the thermal conditions inside these dwellings and corridors. The simulations included multiple timings, dates, and varied wind conditions, including speed, direction, and temperature. Some simulation scenarios represented a whole house with several rooms, while others focused on the interaction between the community and its dwellings.

The simulation results showed a close relationship between the design of the house and internal thermal conditions, which are affected by the location of the room in the house, with the core of the building playing an important role, especially in traditional houses. The thermal comfort inside the house depended mainly on air flow, as high air velocity contributed to enhancing thermal comfort. Roof openings with various designs and shapes also improved air flow, thus helping to cool the roof during the day and enhance cool air circulation at night.

The study demonstrated the effectiveness of passive cooling techniques in traditional villages, such as plants and water channels (Aflaj), which can reduce indoor air temperature by 2 to 5 degrees Celsius, although the effectiveness of these techniques declines when wind speed exceeds 3 m/s, thus highlighting the need to document thermal conditions inside traditional houses and analyse their corresponding thermal comfort levels. Further, adopting responsive climate designs in contemporary urban development in Oman, especially by reducing air temperature through shade paths and enhancing vegetation around buildings, can be effective in improving thermal comfort. 

The study resulted in recommendations to expand the documentation of thermal environmental conditions and comfort levels in traditional houses to include different locations, such as Dhofar, with the aim of identifying diverse thermal patterns. It also suggested studying the impact of using modern building materials and techniques with traditional designs, including phase change materials, which can help store heat more efficiently and at a lower cost than traditional dense materials. Finally, the research underlined the importance of applying climate-responsive design techniques in urban development projects, with a focus on reducing temperatures by increasing shaded areas and vegetation around buildings, which contributes to improving thermal comfort levels and achieving environmental sustainability.