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Are Historical Buildings More Adaptive to Minimize the Risks of Airborne Transmission of Viruses and Public Health? A Study of the Hazzazi House in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)

Author

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  • Alaa Alaidroos

    (Architectural Engineering Department, Collage of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University KAU-Rabigh, Rabigh 25732, Saudi Arabia)

  • Ayad Almaimani

    (Architecture Department, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia)

  • Ahmed Baik

    (Geomatics Department, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia)

  • Mohamed Al-Amodi

    (Architecture Department, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia)

  • Khan Rubayet Rahaman

    (Department of Geography and Environment Studies, St. Mary’s University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, Canada)

Abstract

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought immense challenges to the natural and built environment to develop an antivirus-enabled model for reducing potential risks of spreading the virus at varied scales such as buildings, neighborhoods, and cities. Spatial configurations of structures may hinder or assist the spread of viruses in the built environment. In this study, we have hypothesized that suitable air ventilation in historic buildings may enhance the built environment to combat the spreading of infectious viruses. To provide such quantitative shreds of evidence, we have generated and estimated an integrated model to summarize obtained information by considering natural ventilation, wind speed, inflow and outflow, wind direction, and forecasting the associated risks of airborne disease transmission in a historical building (i.e., the Hazzazi House in particular). Intrinsically, the results have demonstrated that the effectiveness of natural ventilation has directly influenced reducing the risks of transmitting airborne infectious viruses for the selected heritage building in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The adopted methods in this research may be useful to understand the potentials of conserving old heritage buildings. Consequently, the results demonstrate that natural air ventilation systems are critical to combat the spread of infectious diseases in the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Alaa Alaidroos & Ayad Almaimani & Ahmed Baik & Mohamed Al-Amodi & Khan Rubayet Rahaman, 2021. "Are Historical Buildings More Adaptive to Minimize the Risks of Airborne Transmission of Viruses and Public Health? A Study of the Hazzazi House in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-19, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3601-:d:527036
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Leonardo Setti & Fabrizio Passarini & Gianluigi De Gennaro & Pierluigi Barbieri & Maria Grazia Perrone & Massimo Borelli & Jolanda Palmisani & Alessia Di Gilio & Prisco Piscitelli & Alessandro Miani, 2020. "Airborne Transmission Route of COVID-19: Why 2 Meters/6 Feet of Inter-Personal Distance Could Not Be Enough," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-6, April.
    2. Khan Rubayet Rahaman & Md. Sultan Mahmud & Bishawjit Mallick, 2020. "Challenges of Testing COVID-19 Cases in Bangladesh," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-17, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mohammed K. Fageha & Alaa Alaidroos, 2022. "Performance Optimization of Natural Ventilation in Classrooms to Minimize the Probability of Viral Infection and Reduce Draught Risk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-23, November.

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