Passive Building Design For Hot-Arid Climate in Traditional Iranian Architecture

GREENARCS GREEN ARCHITECTURE AND ARTS ONLINE JOURNAL (ENGLISH)
2014
Moossavi, Seyed Morteza. (2014). Passive Building Design for Hot-Arid Climate in Traditional
Iranian Architecture. GREENARCS Green Architecture and Arts Online Journal (English), Page
Address: http://english.greenarcs.com/archives/60
Passive Building Design for Hot-Arid Climate in

Traditional Iranian Architecture
Seyed Morteza Moossavi
Ph.D. Scholar of Architecture, M.D. Arch.
Architecture and Ekistics Department
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
_________________________________________________________________
Keawords: Passive Building Design, Passive Architecture, Traditional Iranian Architecture
Abstract
Nowadays, we are feeling so much pressing to change building design to use
natural systems, because of global warming, energy problems, and air pollution.
Before industrial age, we had a good knowledge about using of renewable
energies in architectural design, but we forgot them for a long time. Now we have
to go back to our last experience, especially passive solar architecture and
passive cooling, heating, ventilation.
There are so many natural cooling criteria and techniques in traditional Iranian
architecture such as:
Internal courtyard houses, The below-ground courtyard, Showdan, Shabestan,
Khishkhan, Hozkhaneh, Badgir (Windcatchers), Qanats
Also, design of building forms in hot-arid climate of Iran is harmonized with
climate. We can see some systems such as:
Arched roofs, Ice stores to preserve ice, adapted urban texture with desert life
conditions
GREENARCS Green Architecture and Arts Foundation. http://greenarcs.com
2014
In fact we can get complete resources about passive building design criteria and
techniques from more than seven thousand years background knowledge in
Iranian architecture that it is shown clearly in Islamic age.
The aim of this paper is to collect and present some passive cooling design
systems from Islamic Iranian architecture in hot-arid climate.
Introduction
The traditional architecture of Iran is the product of land, the local climate, and
peoples culture. The human needs and the environment represented the most
essential factors to be considered in their designs. The traditional and vernacular
architecture of this region introduced many realistic solutions and devices to the
local environmental problems in macro and micro scale which became a common
architectural feature in buildings.
Beyond the evident typology in Islamic Iranian architecture and the guiding
architectural principles, their buildings were shaped by a conceptual framework,
which developed an understanding of conscious responses to environmental,
urban and societal conditions of existence. Traditional buildings are the true
expression of the architecture that provides comfortable living conditions in all
different climates. In hot arid regions, in specific, the forms of these traditional
buildings have been shaped according to the available natural sources of energy,
which help reduce humidity and create natural ventilation. There are number of
architectural techniques and elements which help provide cooling in internal
spaces, including an inner courtyard, shabestan, local materials and windcatchers, khishkhan and so many other systems. This paper will try to show some
of these Iranian architects experiences.
Climate of Iran
Iran has a hot, dry climate characterized by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool
winters. January is the coldest month, with temperatures from 5C to 10C, and
August is the hottest month at 20C to 30C or more.
In most of the areas, summers are warm to hot with virtually continuous sunshine,
but high humidity on the southern coastal areas of the Persian Gulf. Daily
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Temperatures can be very hot; on some days temperatures can reach easily 40C
or more, especially along the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea which causes a danger
of heat exhaustion.
About 70 percent of the average rainfall in the country falls between November
and March; June through August are often rainless. Rainfall varies from season to
season and from year to year. Precipitation is sometimes concentrated in local,
but violent storms, causing erosion and local flooding, especially in the winter
months.
Caspian Mild and Wet
Caspian Mild
Mediterranean with Spring Rains
Mediterranean
Cold Mountains
Very Cold Mountains
Cold Semi-Desert
Hot Semi-Desert
Dry Desert
Hot Dry Desert
Hot Coastal Dry
Coastal Dry
Figure 1 Climate Map of Iran
A small area along the Caspian coast has a very different climate; here rainfall is
heaviest from late summer to midwinter but falls in general throughout the year.1
Hot-Arid Climate of Iran

Hard and cold winters, warm and dry summers, very low rate of rain, air humidity,
herbal cover, so much difference between day and night temperature and in salt
Weatheronline Website
2014
desert and salt-desert border regions, the dusty winds are the outstanding climatic
specifications in this region.2
Passive Cooling Systems in Islamic Iranian Architecture

According to scale of cooling architectural systems in Iranian architecture from
urban scale to architectural elements, we give a classification in four parts:
-
Morphology and urban texture
Building form
Architectural Spaces and Elements
Materials
Morphology and Urban Texture

In movement through urban space to building spaces we can start from urban
texture parameters and systems that those were making cool space in Iranian
cities.
Urban Direction
Architects in the past with regard to weather, sunlight and wind (wind, air, storms,
dust, etc.) have designed some special direction for Iranian cities.
Iranian architects have used hexagonal shape to do that. They had totally three
directions and they have called them:
Order orientation (Roune rasteh in Persian language): North East - South West.
Isfahanian orientation (Roune Isfahani in Persian language): North West South
East
Kermanian orientation (Roune Kermani in Persian language): West East
Ahmadkhani Maleki, 2011
2014
Figure 2 From Left to Right: Order Orientation, Isfahanian Orientation, and Kermanian
Orientation
Dense Texture
As we can see in maps of Yazd and Kashan cities, there are connected buildings
and covered bazaars in these cities. So that in a total overview you can see it as a
single roof with holes (courtyards), and some alleys cut in this roof.
Figure 3 Dense Texture of Kashan, Iran
Surrounded Urban Spaces

All the public and private spaces are surrounded with tall walls and they have
internal courtyards to decrease the effect of hot and sandy winds.
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Figure 4 Ganj-Alikhan Square, Kerman, Iran
Covered Bazaar
To provide shade and protect from hot sun and dusty winds, Bazaars; as main
lanes in Iranian cities are covered by tall roofs with air vent elements.
Figure 5 Bazar-e Vakil, Shiraz, Iran
Narrow Irregular Passages

The alleys are not straight. Those are narrow to provide shade in most times a
day and be comfort.
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All passages have tall walls and roofs in some parts to make shade and protect
people of sunlight and sandy winds too.
Figure 6 A Narrow Alley in Yazd, Iran
Sabat
A sabat is designed in order keep safe human living in desert from direct radiation
of sunlight in shade for some moments. In fact, Iranian architects, in the same
instances, built houses up to somewhere lying on the lane and began to build one
or more protruded rooms with same eaves above the passage all commuting was
made under these rooms called sabats. A sabat can modulate a transient
temperature. It is such a way to his pedestrian on his destination is positioned in
shade in a suitable succession.
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Also we can say that sabats are climate comfort entrance spaces for houses.
Figure 7 A Sabat in an Alley, Yazd, Iran
Building Form
Second scale through urban texture to building spaces will be building form that
we should focus on that.
Inverted Architecture
Iranian architects has designed an internal or inverted architecture, separate of
alleys and public urban spaces, to achieve minimum absorption of solar energy by
outdoor walls all the buildings about each other.
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Domed Roofs
In the past, there were several ways of reducing the heat inside the buildings with
the benefit of radiant cooling. Domed roofs have been widely used in traditional
architecture mainly in hot and dry climates and have had an extreme effect on the
reducing the building's loads. The form of domes presents two different benefits.
During the day, always some area of the dome is in shadow while at night full
hemisphere sees the night sky. Thus, radiant heating is minimized while radiant
cooling is maximized.
Figure 8 Radiant Heating: Minimized and Radiant Cooling:Maximized

Domed Roofs in Passive Iranian Architecture
Courtyard
The courtyard in a hot dry climate is usually the heart of the dwelling spatially,
socially, and environmentally. Although, the size of the land, to some extent, is
influential, the average sizes of the courtyards are generally determined according
to the latitude. They are narrow enough to maintain a shaded area during the heat
of the day in summer, but wide enough to receive solar radiation in winter. A
courtyard can provide security, privacy, and a comfortable place within the house.
The courtyard where it is usually planted with trees, flowers and other plants, not
only provides comfortable condition and beautiful setting, but also supplies some
shade and increase the relative humidity of the courtyard space. In order to
reduce the area affected by the solar radiation, compact forms are chosen. Shady
areas can be obtained by arranging those forms of courtyards with the help of
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plants and water for evaporative cooling. The floor temperature can be reduced by
the high walls surrounding the courtyard, and the open areas can be used during
the day. Water channels poured out from the pool are important elements for
cooling.
Figure 9 Ameris House Courtyard, Kashan, Iran
Courtyards are always in the ground floor and have distinct forms depending on
the landscape of the house. Even without modern, mechanical heating or cooling
systems, the courtyard house provides a comfortable living environment through
seasonal usage of sections of the structure.
Godalbaghcheh (Padiav)
The depth of the yards was more than the normal to have access to Qanat water
or subterranean canal of water, which was passing underground of yard, to water
garden and below ground courtyard. These yards were called Godalbaghcheh or
Padiav. By having a full of plants and trees and naturally because of evaporation
and sudation they are acting as a cool and fresh air generator for the upper yard
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spaces. The floor of the yard was paved with square bricks called paved bricks,
which water and broom were used to clean them and it caused the yard space to
become cool.
Figure 10 A Godalbaghcheh in a Courtyard, Kashan, Iran
Inner Spaces and Elements

Third scale in our discuss on cooling systems of traditional Iranian architecture is
inner spaces and elements.
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Winter Portion and Summer Portion

Those houses are known as four season houses from the structure to the
decorations are designed to meet the climate of this region. The two north and
south fronts, as the most suitable directions for buildings are allocated for summer
and winter dwelling. The northern front or "Panah" that opens to the winter sun is
the sitting room of family. In another front "Nesar" backs sunshine and essentially,
it is a veranda with tall roof and wind catcher as the sitting place of family and
most often, the "basement" is built below it. In hot seasons, the temperature of
cellar-being underground is less than other parts.
Figure 11 Winter Portion and Summer Portion in Iranian Architecture
The Winter Portion

In this part a big room with a large window (Orosi in Persian language) toward the
sun catches the rays of sun, and gets warm very fast in the morning. It gets warm
with direct sun. The floor, the walls and the roof are made with mud-brick. They
work as good heat storage, so they gain a large amount of heat and they give it
back with 7-9 hours delay (time-lag) during night. So the nights are not too cold.
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The walls that got cold during the night are not effective because direct sun warms
the room up during the day.
The Summer Portion
This part works in the summer, gaining the least sunshine, with a wind catcher
and Kolah Farangi (a space with dome roof and vents on the dome) also a Talar.
The summer portion (Talar, wind catcher and Kolah Farangi) and the summer
room in the corner without any heat gain make a cool weather in hot season.
Figure 12 Shading and Ventilation in Summer Portion vs Winter Portion
Aivan and Ravaq

Eyvan and Ravaq, semi-open areas, are used to create shady and cool living
spaces during the day. The Aivan, three side a closed passageway in front of the
"rooms", permits a common life inside (an open living room inside the house).
Usually they are oriented to the south. Especially, south and east oriented Ayvans
are very cool and provide shady places during summer afternoons. The Ravaq
semi-open colonnade arranged in the courtyard always provides shady areas.
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Figure 13 Ravaq, Semi-Open and Shaded Colonade
Wind-catcher
Wind-catchers have been used in Iran for centuries, and regarding the region
they have been differently designed based on the elevation and direction of the
wind. Wind-catchers mainly work based on the fact that the wall against the wind
is cooled off and the natural ventilation is done by the pressure differences inside
and outside the building, high air pressure then is sucked in, and low air pressure
and warm air comes out.
Wind-catchers, in Iran, are designed to cool off the building based on earlier,
convection, evaporation or both.
Figure 14 Simplified Figure of Wind-Catcher (Badgir) Function

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Air-vent of Dom Roof

The operation of an air-vent depends on the fact that when air flows over a
cylindrical or spherical object, the velocity at the apex decreases. If there is a hole
at the apex of a domed or cylindrical roof, the different in pressure includes the hot
air under the roof to flow out through the vent.
An air-vent is usually protected by small cap in which there are openings that
direct the wind across the vent. Since the functioning of the vent depends on air
flowing over a curved surface, roofs with vents are oriented to present the
maximum curve to the wind. In areas where the wind is a prevailing one cylindrical
roof are built with the axis of the cylinder perpendicular to the wind direction, in
areas where the winds blow in all directions domed roofs are employed. Air-vents
are usually placed over the living rooms of buildings.
Figure 15 Shematic Figure of Air-vent Function
Shabestan
A Shabestan or Shabistan is an underground space that can be usually found in
traditional architecture of mosques, houses, and schools in ancient Persia (Iran).
These spaces were usually used during summers and could be ventilated by
wind-catchers and qanats.
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Figure 16 Shabestan as a Cooling System in Hotest Days
Windows
Generally in hot and dry regions windows are small and are located in the upper
parts of walls just near the ceiling. Although external walls do not have so many
windows there are so many of them on the yard facing internal walls. Passing
ventilation is done by these windows. Wind-catcher also helps to the internal
ventilation.
Ray Wall (Tabeshband)
In the faade, the ray wall with almost thin sunshine cut blades with 6 to 15
centimeters thickness are used, around which, windows and holes would be
worked for shadows. Those who worked on top of threshold or window were
called horizontal wall or shadow top. In addition, on top of threshold, the bar walls,
in form of two small shelves with two oblique coat were made. Ray walls and bar
walls were able to prevent serve sunshine.
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Figure 17 Raywall (Tabeshband) to Protect against Sun Radiation
Materials
Every building material in a desert town is composed of mud and its derivatives. In
fact, nothing but mud and mortar can be used in such regions because there are
no other building materials in the region.
Due to very hot temperatures, the building materials absorb heat from the sun and
make it available later when the sun goes down. In other words, this energy is
retained in the walls about 8 hours and the other parts of the building envelope
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and is gradually transferred to the inner compartments. Such a quickly provides

leads to two alternatives in cold and warm season.
Use of vernacular materials such as brick and adobe is always one of the
concerns in the architecture of buildings, in hot-arid climate of Iran.
Figure 18 Self-Efficient Materials, Optical and Thermo-Physical Properties of the Building

Envelope
In the hot and dry climatic areas in Iran, in examples of traditional architecture, to
benefit from the time lag of temperatures in the building envelope, materials with
greater thermal mass have been chosen.
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These kinds of thermally massed envelope details are very convenient for
continental climates, where the summers are very severe with high swings in daily
temperature variations.
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