The topic of preservation of heritage is a priority and is of serious importance in the context of issues of concern to the countries of the world. It is a clear indication of the progress of civilizations, the one from which subsequent generations derive their culture and their architectural identity. The research considers terms related to philosophical, cultural, economic, educational and sustainability aspects. Though, the focus of the paper is not to explain the goal of conservation on prevention and maintenance only. Nevertheless, the aim is to clarify the mechanisms related to the concept of the conservation policy, the way of its development and ease of access, to achieve treatments in architectural conservation.In this paper, some samples have been discussed as case studies. The selected heritage buildings are very well-known representative samples of architectural heritage and identity. The projects will be analyzed to create a clear image to identify the main features of architectural conservation with the suggestion to achieve the best conservation policy. This is done through concluding appropriate and effective regulations and treatments to prevent further mishandling, distortion and deterioration of heritage buildings. Besides, the challenges and problems facing the development of conservation policy to be addressed.The objective of the paper is to study and evaluate the conservation policy used in the processes of restoration of various examples, which is followed by analytical method based on a historical survey, to contribute to the prevention of distortion and extinction of historical buildings and evaluate their endurance to preserve the identity and architectural sensation of the city. This is by using the best method of conservation policies with specific recommendations to conduct the conservation process in accordance with engineering and scientific methods so that the building achieves renewal, sustainability and the highest historical, architectural and social impact.

High-rise residential buildings are increasing worldwide, including cities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Therefore, creating sustainable environments in and around these residential buildings are becoming an important problem. Improving energy efficiency in buildings has received critical attention worldwide. Countries have developed national sustainability strategies that lead to the lower energy consumption while maintaining comfort, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing harmful emissions. In this paper, an analysis of the impact of external shading devices in high-rise residential buildings on energy consumption of a 13-storey building in Sulaimani city is studied. The study is focused on fixed shading elements, explaining the influence of the design of vertical and horizontal shading devices on the total energy consumption of this type of building. The results show that both a single fixed horizontal blind with a depth of 20 cm and a triple vertical shading with the same depth are considered useless. The reduction in cooling loads by two fixed horizontal louvers almost doubled compared to a single fixed horizontal shading with 20 cm. Moreover, triple fixed horizontal louvers with 40 cm have almost the same effect on reducing cooling loads as triple fixed louvers with 60 cm. On the other hand, a triple fixed horizontal shading device with 60 cm has twice the effect on reducing annual cooling loads as a triple fixed vertical shading device with 60 cm.

Iwan, also Eyvan, is strongly associated with the architecture of the Middle East. It has been widely used as a space to serve different purposes in various types of traditional buildings such as mosques, palaces, and houses. This study focuses on the environmental aspects of iwan . The research investigates the effects of changing the exposure degrees of iwan on its insolation within traditional houses in Sulaymaniyah’s old town. Both EnergyPlus and Google SketchUp programs were used to make a 3D model and perform energy simulation analysing for a typical building with iwan in different proportions, similar to what exists in the region. Furthermore, weather data of Sulaymaniyah (latitude 36°) is used in the simulation process. Several main geometrical variables are affecting the exposure degrees of iwan in Sulaymaniyah: Firstly, the length and depth of the space change in different houses whereas the height is almost constant, the same as the building’s height, which equals to 3m. Secondly, the orientation of the iwan , which is usually facing southeast, south, southwest, and both east and west, considered in the simulations and the results obtained separately for each orientation. There is no doubt that in hot seasons, shading is preferable. Whereas, in cold seasons, receiving more solar irradiation is desirable. Based on the results, iwan’s solar performance improves whenever its width is decreased compared to its depth. In addition, the results show that the iwan’s orientation affects significantly on its solar performance, as those facing towards south have better performance, meanwhile, those facing north have it the worst. Furthermore, changing the depth to width ratio for those facing east and west does not seem to affect their solar performance noticeably. Moreover, the results examine to what extend iwan can be used in buildings as a climatic responsive design strategy in Sulaymaniyah.