Investigating climate responsive solutions in vernacular architecture of Bushehr city

Abstract

As the main concern in sustainability is consideration to climatic conditions, climatically compatible design is the closest way of getting the maximum advantage of renewable sources of energy, while at the same time the design minimizes the undesirable effects of the construction in the environment and causes coordination with sustainability. From this point of view, the Bushehr traditional fabric, which is located in northern side of the Persian Gulf shore in south of Iran, is distinguished as a city with a unique vernacular architecture and climatically adapted urban design. Climatic design in Bushehr traditional city is seen in several characteristics including urban morphology and urban orientation, as well as architectural design and architectural elements of buildings such as Shenashir. The main reason of using all these solutions and strategies in vernacular architecture of Bushehr was to be adapted to climatic condition (a hot and humid climate) and therefore using the environmental potential to provide comfort for its occupants, which are the main purposes of sustainable development. As a result, this research attends to investigate these climatic solutions and their advantages as an idea to develop and use in contemporary architecture in order to reach sustainability. To this end, qualitative methodology based on a descriptive-interpretative approach is applied in this research for analyzing appropriate climatic solutions in vernacular architecture of Bushehr.

Thermal Responsive Performances of a Spanish Balcony-Based Vernacular Envelope

“…Vernacular architectures across continents are widely understood to include several strategies to act in response to local climatic conditions, which among others reduce thermal deviations from comfort temperatures, such as thermal storage, earth coupling, natural ventilation strategies, spatial programmatic layout, night cooling, vegetation, colouration, and more [3][4][5][6]. The strategies in focus 2 of 12 here are operable elements for the regulation of solar radiation, which significantly contribute via the radiant temperature to the perceived operative temperature [7][8][9].…”

Influence of Iwans on the Thermal Comfort of Talar Rooms in the Traditional Houses: A Study in Shiraz, Iran

“…Comparisons between traditional and contemporary houses have indicated that traditional houses, which employ building design strategies, are more compatible with the environment, resulting in better thermal comfort in indoor spaces. Although in contemporary houses many technologies are used to achieve indoor thermal comfort [9][10][11], several studies have indicated that passive and climatic strategies used in traditional buildings can be implemented in modern buildings [12].…”

Effects of Vernacular Climatic Strategies (VCS) on Energy Consumption in Common Residential Buildings in Southern Iran: The Case Study of Bushehr City

“…Bushehr is considered the most important port near the Persian Gulf border. Although in recent years many transformations have occurred in this city and its urban public spaces, its vernacular fabric is unique and has been formed based on its climate position [26]. Vernacular residents in this region used some climate-adapted solutions to protect their buildings from the harsh outside climate.…”

“…They built their houses based on minimum sunlight penetration and the optimal usage of wind currents with several solutions. Climatic solutions in Bushehr vernacular architecture include: orientation of buildings with consideration of wind flow direction for the maximum use of the gentle cool breezes, central organization of spaces for creating proper ventilation, the existence of windows toward the central courtyard and toward alleys for producing transverse ventilation, use of vernacular elements for shading like Shenashir (in Figure 2), use of materials with low heat capacity for adaptability to hot and humid climates, and use of rooftops at nights for the maximum use of the wind draft [26]. The ground floors of these vernacular dwellings were used in the relatively colder seasons, January and February, to prevent cold winds through winter spaces, and along with the winter spaces, there were also other service spaces such as kitchens, storage areas, and bathrooms.…”

“…Figure 3 shows an example of these buildings. Since some of the most important aspects for reaching sustainability and sustainable development in cities are adaptability to climate conditions and reduction of energy consumption, climatic design, which is seen in the vernacular architecture of Bushehr, could be a good method for preventing excessive energy consumption and air pollution [26]. In contrast to climate-responsive buildings, there are common residential buildings, which are similar in design and components in all different climates of Iran in terms of interior and exterior characteristics and how they communicate with the environment.…”