Green Architecture and its Influence on Reducing Energy Consumption in a Central Bank Building with Hot and Dry Climate

Bank buildings are considered as one of the most energy consuming centers despite its important role in urban sustainable design and architecture. This research has attempted to investigate the effectiveness of utilizing Green Architecture characteristics and the principles of climate compatible architecture on reducing the amount of energy consumption in a central bank building. In pursuit of this purpose, the building was renovated by considering the principles and characteristics of green architecture and hot and dry climate-compatible architecture, for example, changing the plumping systems, replacing the old cooling towers with low consumption, high life span towers, creating concrete pools to save water and collect rain water, constructing the necessary foundations for using solar panels, building and providing green spaces, and using intelligent lighting system, insulating panels, and local materials and resources. In the next stage, Design Builder software and other field studies such as monitoring energy bills were used to measure the effectiveness of this renovation on the matter of decreasing energy consumption of this bank building were studied. The findings of Design Building and the analysis indicate that the performed renovations have led to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, have decreased the annual consuming fuel and the consumption of electricity and gas. Moreover, the climate related findings show that the annual fuel breakdown have improved in the renovated building in comparison with the old building. As a result, it can be said that applying the characteristics of green architecture and observing the principles of climate compatible architecture leave significant influences on reduction of energy consumption and leads to the comfort and welfare among the bank staffs and customers.