Energy-efficient house design in Jordan: orientation, insulation and solar
An energy-efficient house in Jordan starts with design decisions, not equipment: facade orientation, window sizes, insulation, shading and ventilation. This article explains each decision and why it is made before drawing.
Arch Mohannad Al-Sharif · Published · 6 min read
Energy-efficient house design in Jordan: it starts on the drawing, not with equipment
When an owner asks me about an energy-efficient house, they usually expect a conversation about solar panels and efficient air conditioners. Those are devices added at the end. What really saves energy is a set of decisions made in the first two weeks of design: which way the facades face, how large each window is, how thick the wall is and what is inside it, and how the house shades itself in summer while catching the sun in winter. These decisions cost almost nothing on paper, and a great deal if you try to correct them after construction.
This article explains how I work with Amman's climate in design, and what each decision gives back in comfort.
Amman's climate: cold winters and hot, dry summers
Amman does not have one climate. Winter is cold and wet, with frost and snow days in the higher districts, and heating is the largest running cost in most homes. Summer is hot and dry by day, but nights cool down noticeably thanks to the altitude, and that difference between day and night is the most valuable free resource in house design.
A good house in Amman therefore needs two opposite things: to hold warmth in winter and to shed heat in summer. A design that solves one and ignores the other gives you a house that is comfortable for half the year.
Facade orientation and window sizes on each side
The first decision is where the house sits on the plot and which way its rooms face. The general rule in Jordan:
- South facade: receives the low winter sun, so I place the living rooms and the largest windows here, with a horizontal sun breaker that blocks the high summer sun and lets the winter sun in.
- North facade: steady light with no direct sun, suited to the kitchen, studies and bedrooms, with medium windows because it is the coldest side in winter.
- West facade: the hardest, because the afternoon sun is low and hot and no horizontal overhang blocks it. I reduce windows here, or protect them with vertical shading, a balcony or trees.
- East facade: gentle morning sun, acceptable for bedrooms and breakfast areas.
The result in the plan: living to the south, services and the staircase to the north or west as a thermal buffer, and windows sized by orientation rather than evenly. This is what I review in every villa design project before any facade is drawn.
Thermal insulation in walls and roof
The common external wall in Jordan is stone, concrete and block. Without an insulation layer between them, the wall acts as a thermal bridge: it pulls winter cold inward and stores summer heat. An insulation layer (an insulating material placed inside the wall or on its inner face) breaks that bridge.
The roof comes first in importance, because it takes the summer sun all day and loses winter heat all night. Thermal insulation of the top slab, in addition to waterproofing, is the decision the people on the top floor feel immediately. In the construction drawings I specify the type, thickness and position of the insulation in the section, because the word insulation without a detail gets built the way the contractor understands it.
Double glazing and thermally broken aluminium
The window is the weakest point in the thermal envelope of a house. Single glazing loses warmth in winter and admits heat in summer more than any wall. Double glazing (two panes with an air or gas gap between them) reduces that loss clearly, and reduces street noise as well.
The frame matters as much as the glass. Thermally broken aluminium (a frame whose inner and outer faces are separated by an insulating strip) prevents condensation on the frame in winter, which is what causes mould around windows in many Amman homes. This is an item I do not recommend saving on, especially in bedrooms and living rooms.
Shading: how the house protects itself from summer sun
The right place to block the sun is outside the glass, not inside it. An interior curtain blocks the light, but the heat is already in. The external shading tools I use: a horizontal sun breaker above south windows with a depth calculated for the summer sun angle, the first floor or a balcony projecting over ground floor windows, vertical fins or a screen on the west facade, and a pergola over the terrace. Jordanian stone itself helps with its thickness, but it does not replace shading.
Natural ventilation: using Amman's cool nights
On summer nights the air in Amman drops to a comfortable temperature. A house designed for cross ventilation (windows on two opposite sides of the same space) empties the day's heat during the night hours and starts the morning cool without air conditioning. A double-height space with a high opening window works as a chimney that draws hot air upward. In the plan I study where the opening windows are, not only how many there are.
Solar water heating and photovoltaic panels
Solar water heaters are widespread in Jordan and worthwhile on most days thanks to the number of sunshine hours. What matters in design: a place for it on the roof that the street does not see, a short pipe run to the bathrooms and kitchen, and its weight and position accounted for before the slab is poured.
Photovoltaic panels that generate electricity also need an early decision: a south-facing roof area with no shade from the roof level or the neighbours, a route for the cables, and a place for the meter and inverter. When the roof is designed for this from the start, the later installation is simple and tidy. The electrical calculations and the economics belong to the electrical engineer and the supplier, and I coordinate with them during the design stage.
How these decisions are made in the design stage
The sequence in my work: study the plot and its orientation, then the plan by orientation, then the facades with their windows and shading, then the section with the insulation details, then the roof with the positions of the heater and panels, then the details in the construction drawings. Each step is settled before the next, and the owner sees the effect of every decision in the 3D visualization before paying for it on site.
What all of this actually saves
I do not give savings figures, because they depend on how each family lives and on energy prices that keep changing. What I can say from what I see: a well-oriented, insulated and shaded house needs less heating in winter and less cooling in summer, the condensation and mould problem disappears, and daylight is enough without lighting for most hours of the day. That is daily comfort that lasts the life of the house, and its extra cost in construction is small compared with what it gives back.
If you are planning a house in Amman or any governorate and want a design that respects the climate from the first line, send the site plan and its orientation and I will reply with a first consultation and a written quote.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important decision in designing an energy-efficient house in Jordan?
Facade orientation and window distribution by side: living rooms and large windows to the south with a sun breaker, fewer windows to the west, and services to the north. This decision is made in the plan and costs nothing extra to build.
Is thermal insulation necessary in Amman houses?
Yes. Amman's winter is cold and its summer hot, and an uninsulated wall pulls in cold and stores heat. Insulating the top slab and the external walls, with double glazing, reduces heating and cooling and prevents condensation and mould.
Should solar panels be planned at the design stage?
Preferably. Panels need a south-facing roof area without shade, a cable route, and weights accounted for before the slab is poured. Early planning makes the later installation simple with no alterations.