Safae Oulmouden

The consumption of energy for cooling is an important issue, especially in climates with high temperatures and dry weather during the summer. These conditions force people to rely on mechanical-electric cooling and ventilation systems to maintain thermal comfort. This trend is also observed in Morocco, where most regions have greater cooling needs than heating. The current thermal regulation, however, mainly focuses on insulation and building envelope improvements, which can sometimes lead to overheating during summer. Passive and hybrid cooling strategies play an important role as low-cost solutions that can improve indoor thermal comfort, reduce energy consumption, and address energy poverty by enhancing access to cooling and promoting social equity. This paper reviews passive and hybrid cooling strategies used in the Moroccan context by analyzing techniques already adopted in both traditional and modern architecture. The results underline the high potential of these strategies and the lack of current integration into conventional practices. The objective is to support future research and provide a knowledge base for policymakers to encourage their inclusion in national thermal regulations.

International building sustainability assessment tools (BSATs) offer a comprehensive framework for assessing environmental, economic, and social sustainability. However, these tools cannot fill the gap between their standards and the regional needs of developing countries such as Morocco. This paper presents a new framework to assess the sustainability of buildings in Morocco. The methodology proposed is the Fuzzy Delphi method to minimize the list of indicators with the help of 14 local experts and give an appropriate weight to the indicators and sub-indicators. The two-round analysis found a balanced weighting for the environmental, economic, and social dimensions, with the social pillar ranked highest in importance. A hierarchical framework of six consensus-based categories and 63 sub-indicators was developed. Consensus was measured using the dispersion threshold approach ≤ 0.2. The results show that waste and pollution (0.80), adaptability and resilience (0.78), and resources (0.75) are prioritized over the innovation category. Notably, sewage management, water reuse, and public infrastructure emerged as critical sub-indicators. A comparative evaluation against local BSATs from the region—Ethiopia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Oman—revealed convergence in core indicators like energy and water, yet divergence in economic and resilience criteria, reflecting regional specificities. This work contributes to the literature by presenting a validated, expert-driven assessment tool that aligns with local needs, offering a practical basis for national green certification and sustainable housing policy in Morocco and similar contexts.