Lessons from the Past: Climatic Response of Iranian Vernacular houses to Hot Climate Conditions

Abstract

While in the historic urban fabric of Iran's cities, there are numerous traditional buildings that have stood up for more than one hundred years, today's buildings, in spite of advanced construction technologies, are not comparable with those traditional ones in terms of resiliency and durability. The sustainable vernacular strategies in design and construction of these traditional houses are the main reasons of their durability. This study discussed and analyzed the vernacular approach and climatic design of traditional Qajarian.houses, which survived for at least one hundred years in Iran. Building orientation according to the sun, construction materials, compatibility with water sources and wind power, and finally structural organization are five parameters which have been analyzed in two buildings in the hot climatic region of Iran. Data collection relies on library research and empirical case study. This research shows the analyzed buildings' design and construction are the response to their climatic situation and are compatible with their contexts.While these buildings are located in two cities with some climatic differences -especially humidity-, their vernacular design strategies have some similarities. However, their differences due to their distinct climatic conditions are undeniable. Finally, the research displays that these buildings put into service climatic opportunities, which are the aftereffect of centuries of optimization of building orientation, material use and construction capabilities with less environmental impact.