Residents' perception of meenware design in residential buildings in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

'Meenware‘ is a vertical shaft that is carefully implemented in buildings as a design solution to provide daylight and natural ventilation for internal spaces. In Saudi Arabia, Meenware is typically applied in apartment buildings to overcome issues associated with deep plan buildings and allow daylight, natural ventilation, and services. Residents may not accept the Meenware due to its disadvantages that have been noted in many apartment buildings. The objective of this study is to provide insights into the residents‘ perception of existing Meenware in apartment buildings. A survey questionnaire was carried out to gather their opinions about Meenware in their apartment buildings in Makkah. The data is collected from the residents of more than 50 apartments buildings. The results show that the majority of the respondents have negative feedback, which includes the perception of Meenware designs and its adverse impact on the building and residents. This paper highlights the need to re-think the current Meenware function and design guideline in light of the residents‘ desire for a quality indoor environment in apartment buildings.