The need for cooling energy in the UAE has significantly increased as a result of the rapid population and economic growth as well as its challenging climate. Several passive techniques such as shading have been used to minimize the reliance on mechanical systems. This study aimed to compare the various types of shading and look at how they affect the surface temperature of an existing building. The comparative analysis included the following cases: self-shading through pockets, shading through vegetation, and finally shading through orientation. The methodology consisted of three main stages: first, a comparison between flat non-shaded windows and pocketed shaded windows; second, a comparison between flat shaded windows by trees and pocketed shaded windows; and finally, a comparison between flat shaded windows by orientation and pocketed shaded windows. Thermal imaging techniques were used in this research to obtain the needed data, and Flir tools software was used to analyse this data. The findings of this study showed that self-shading through the pockets produced better outcomes than shading through vegetation and orientation. A reduction in surface temperature that varied from 17% to 43% was attributed to pocketed windows compared to non-shaded windows. A reduction in surface temperature that varied from 5% to 16% was attributed to pocketed windows compared to shaded windows by trees. A reduction in surface temperature that varied from 1% to 22% was attributed to pocketed windows compared to shaded windows by orientation.