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Updated 2026-09-02

Solar & Daylight Data

Daylight & Orientation: Dubai Festival City, UAE

How to research daylight & orientation for a specific site in Dubai Festival City — the controlling authority, source documents, and checks to run before you rely on a number.

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Last updated September 2, 2026 · Location data from the [GeoNames AE dump](https://download.geonames.org/export/dump/AE.zip) (CC BY 4.0, snapshot 2026-08-31, GeoNames ID 8541937). Regulatory starting point: [UAE Government overview of local building authorities](https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/justice-safety-and-the-law/building-safety). Figures are illustrative — verify against the current locally adopted edition for the site. Solar-method context: [NOAA Solar Calculation Details](https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/calcdetails.html); the Harth monthly table uses a simpler declination and geometric-daylight approximation whose stated limitations must be retained. Project-date refinement reference: [NREL Solar Position Algorithm](https://midcdmz.nrel.gov/spa/).

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Direct answer

For Dubai Festival City at 25.2218, 55.3573, the declination-only solar-noon altitude is approximately 88.2° at the June solstice, 64.8° at an equinox and 41.3° at the December solstice. Refine these geometry checks with the project date, civil time, facade azimuth, terrain and local horizon. The reproducible location record is GeoNames ID 8541937 in administrative area 03, at 25.2218, 55.3573; replace it with the surveyed parcel point before relying on the result. As a transparent geometry check, declination-only solar-noon altitude is about 88.2° at the June solstice, 64.8° at an equinox and 41.3° at the December solstice. Representative 21st-day geometry ranges from about 10.4 hours in December to 13.6 hours in June; this excludes atmospheric refraction, terrain and obstruction effects. The cited national authority is a discovery starting point; current local documents and a named qualified reviewer control project use of this daylight and building orientation record.

Content and cited inputs reviewed by Scott Barrington, Harth founder and architectural technology specialist · Published 2026-08-26 · Updated 2026-09-02.

What must be verified for Dubai Festival City?

Dubai Festival City is represented here at approximately 25.2218, 55.3573 for discovery and workflow planning. A project address, parcel, elevation, exposure, authority, and submission date must replace that city-centre reference before design use.

How should daylight and building orientation be established?

  1. Fix the surveyed site and local time basis.
  2. Select an authoritative weather source or a named solar-position algorithm.
  3. Record period, percentile or scenario and units.
  4. Test sensitivity to elevation, exposure, urban form and horizon.
  5. Save the source file, retrieval date and checker in the model record.
InputProject-specific evidenceQA question
Sitesurveyed coordinates, elevation and horizonDoes the point represent the building?
Weather/solar methodnamed dataset, algorithm, period and time basisAre station, time zone and units explicit?
Design scenariocurrent and future scenario agreed by the teamIs an average being mistaken for an extreme?
Complianceadopted local document and editionWas applicability confirmed with the authority?

What are the limits of this worksheet?

This daylight-workflow page is a project-starting worksheet, not a design value or approval. The controlling authority and qualified professionals for the Dubai Festival City site remain authoritative.

Dubai Festival City monthly solar geometry check for daylight & orientation

Representative dateDeclinationSolar-noon altitudeGeometric daylightNoon shadow / height
21 January-20.14°44.64°10.674 h1.013
21 February-11.23°53.55°11.285 h0.739
21 March-0.40°64.37°11.975 h0.480
21 April+11.58°76.36°12.738 h0.243
21 May+20.14°84.92°13.326 h0.089
21 June+23.45°88.23°13.572 h0.031
21 July+20.44°85.22°13.348 h0.084
21 August+11.75°76.53°12.750 h0.239
21 September-0.20°64.58°11.987 h0.475
21 October-11.75°53.02°11.250 h0.753
21 November-20.44°44.34°10.652 h1.023
21 December-23.45°41.33°10.428 h1.137

Dubai Festival City solar-geometry fingerprint at 25.2218, 55.3573

  • Dubai Festival City, 21 January: declination -20.14°, noon altitude 44.64°, zenith 45.36°, geometric daylight 10.674 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 1.013.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 February: declination -11.23°, noon altitude 53.55°, zenith 36.45°, geometric daylight 11.285 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 0.739.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 March: declination -0.40°, noon altitude 64.37°, zenith 25.63°, geometric daylight 11.975 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 0.480.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 April: declination +11.58°, noon altitude 76.36°, zenith 13.64°, geometric daylight 12.738 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 0.243.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 May: declination +20.14°, noon altitude 84.92°, zenith 5.08°, geometric daylight 13.326 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 0.089.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 June: declination +23.45°, noon altitude 88.23°, zenith 1.77°, geometric daylight 13.572 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 0.031.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 July: declination +20.44°, noon altitude 85.22°, zenith 4.78°, geometric daylight 13.348 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 0.084.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 August: declination +11.75°, noon altitude 76.53°, zenith 13.47°, geometric daylight 12.750 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 0.239.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 September: declination -0.20°, noon altitude 64.58°, zenith 25.42°, geometric daylight 11.987 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 0.475.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 October: declination -11.75°, noon altitude 53.02°, zenith 36.98°, geometric daylight 11.250 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 0.753.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 November: declination -20.44°, noon altitude 44.34°, zenith 45.66°, geometric daylight 10.652 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 1.023.
  • Dubai Festival City, 21 December: declination -23.45°, noon altitude 41.33°, zenith 48.67°, geometric daylight 10.428 hours, and vertical-object noon shadow ratio 1.137.

Harth computed the Dubai Festival City fingerprint for latitude 25.2218° with the Cooper declination approximation, 90° - |latitude - declination| at solar noon, centre-to-centre sunrise hour angle and 1 / tan(altitude) shadow ratio. Longitude 55.3573° is retained for a later civil-time conversion; this screen does not perform that conversion. See NOAA's solar calculation details. Atmospheric refraction, terrain, facade azimuth and obstructions remain outside this first-pass comparison.

Where can you explore related guidance?

Sources and method

Location data from the GeoNames AE dump (CC BY 4.0, snapshot 2026-08-31, GeoNames ID 8541937). Regulatory starting point: UAE Government overview of local building authorities. Figures are illustrative — verify against the current locally adopted edition for the site. Solar-method context: NOAA Solar Calculation Details; the Harth monthly table uses a simpler declination and geometric-daylight approximation whose stated limitations must be retained. Project-date refinement reference: NREL Solar Position Algorithm.

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Frequently asked questions

What does the daylight and building orientation record for Dubai Festival City establish?

The daylight and building orientation record for Dubai Festival City establishes a reproducible discovery point at 25.2218, 55.3573 (GeoNames ID 8541937, administrative area 03) and a United Arab Emirates source path. It does not establish a final project value, approval or parcel decision.

What must be replaced before using this daylight and building orientation workflow for a project in Dubai Festival City?

For the daylight and building orientation record in Dubai Festival City, replace the 25.2218, 55.3573 city reference with the surveyed site or parcel, identify the competent local authority, and verify the current documents under emirate- and municipality-specific building regulations and permit systems. Record the edition, retrieval date, units, assumptions and named checker before relying on the result.

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