Quantifying the Energy Performance of Biomimetic Façade Systems in Hot–Arid Residential Buildings: A Libyan Case Study

Abstract

Cooling demand in hot–arid regions motivates façades that regulate solar gain and airflow. This study quantifies biomimetic façade strategies for a Tripoli residence using DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus. The surveyed single-storey Utility-Calibrated Existing Bungalow (UCEB) recorded 14,161.000 kWh over one utility interval versus 14,161.048 kWh simulated (+0.000339%); this is an annual calibration check, not temporal or façade validation. A separate villa, B0, provides the comparative baseline (164.23 kWh/m2·year gross site EUI). P1, F1, S2, F3, P2 and P3 record 77.32, 51.63, 91.90, 50.02, 50.88 and 102.64 kWh/m2·year, respectively; S2 reaches 12.10 kWh/m2·year net after photovoltaic generation. Relative to B0, P1 reduces gross site EUI by 52.92% and source energy by 26.85%. Because archives differ in geometry, envelope, glazing, timestep, infiltration and airflow inputs, the results represent integrated scenarios; no common cooling meter supports an annual reduction percentage. A near-match P1 companion run gives a mean PMV from −0.62 to +0.73, mean PPD from 15.55% to 31.50%, and 7612.50 h outside the EnergyPlus legacy Simple ASHRAE 55-2004 criterion. The contribution is a provenance-bounded mechanism-to-variable workflow for comparative simulation.