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This paper explores the potential of rooftop solar PV to meet the electricity demand in the urban areas of Abha city, Saudi Arabia (KSA), minimising imports from the grid. A localised energy system for Abha is proposed that considers two types of loads: (i) residential loads with a monthly aggregated energy consumption of 172,440 MWh and an electric demand of 239.5 MW, and (ii) commercial loads with a monthly aggregated energy consumption of 179,280 MWh and an electric demand of 249 MW. The grid currently supplies this load. This paper proposes a PV development planning tool for residential and commercial areas to calculate the total PV production for each type of load to achieve a balanced energy area, considering (i) the number of buildings, (ii) the type of load, (iii) the peak load, and (iv) the total PV array area in m2 per building. The results of the modelling study using real data demonstrate that the anticipated total PV production in residential and commercial areas is sufficient to meet local peak demand, and there is an excess of power that can either be stored locally or exported to the grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities around the world increasingly recognize the need to build on their resilience to deal with converging forces such as disasters, environmental degradation, urban sprawl, and climate change. Given the significance of critical infrastructure networks (CINs) for maintaining the quality of life in buildings and communities, improving their resilience is of high importance to governors, planners, and policymakers. Therefore, this study is proposed to spatially analyze the resilience of CINs in Saudi Arabia and to develop a holistic resilience framework for buildings and communities. The research method of this study involves a case study of Najran, including a collection of CIN data, history of natural disasters, and future potential hazards. The data were compiled to list the basic parameters required for the development of resilience criteria. Overall results show that CINs in the city of Najran were performing below average compared with the measurement criteria. The study highlights the need to make improvements in terms of the robustness, redundancy, and flexibility of the CINs in the city. Moreover, this paper proposes a holistic framework of key aspects of resilient criteria that need to be taken into account by the city governor, policymakers, and developer bodies for better management of available infrastructure and its development in future years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) envisions sufficient housing access for its citizens, but the Ministry of Housing is unable to fulfil the housing requirements across various population segments. This necessitates research on architectural designs. This study reviewed relevant research over the past decade (housing design patterns and trends) derived from code-todocument analysis with ATLAS.ti 8, as well as the state of the housing design discipline. A total of 33 pertinent studies published between 2011 and 2021 were elicited through a keyword search from specific databases (Scopus, ScienceDirect and Emerald Insight) and divided thematically based on financial, social and sustainability factors. The review, which emphasised the design process, identified little correlation between the process and a systematic attempt to fulfil citizens' requirements. Both knowledge and praxis-oriented gaps were ascertained in the interior housing design process. Specifically, this study evaluated empirical works on housing designs and elaborated on the research area based on KSA citizens' financial, social and sustainability needs. This two-fold review presents a synthesis of current literature for local scholars and functions as a guideline for filling knowledge gaps that require bridging in future works and for house designs and interiors to complement KSA citizens' requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initial assessment of cost estimation for constructing a building is one of the most challenging and critical tasks by all involved participants across the fields of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (A/E/C) industries. This may be contributed by the architects' subjectivity, owners' requirements, and a variety of possible design alternatives. Early decisions based on an estimate involve highly uncertain subsequent disputes between stakeholders. One of the most common uncertainty cost estimate factors of a project is selecting the building Architectural Design Variables (ADVs). Thus, this research identified seven ADVs with 40 design options that have conflicting contributions to the cost performance in construction. These options were quantitatively evaluated and combined to generate the cost of potential designs. Based on that, a novel Architectural-Based Construction Cost Impact Scoring System (ACCISS) was developed to reduce stakeholders' subjectivity, and accordingly, determine the most appropriate design decision that provides early cost advice and highlights the most cost-acceptable design alternatives. The proposed ACCISS is capable to automatically evaluate any combination of design alternatives, through its simple and user-friendly program. A case study of three design alternatives with three regression analyses models was incorporating to validate the ACCISS. The models' results showed the ability of ACCISS to work as an efficient assessing tool for providing cost-effective designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]