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Articulation of the climatic performance of chaharsofeh houses in Zavareh reframing the section as a vertical passive cooling core in the architecture of Iran’s hot-arid regions
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Hoda Kanani Moghadam   , Seyed Majid Mofidi Shemirani * , Farah Habib |
| Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran. , s_m_mofidi@iust.ac.ir |
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Abstract: (570 Views) |
Objective: Global warming driven by climate change and carbon dioxide emissions has increased energy consumption and cooling costs. Under these conditions, natural cooling is considered an effective approach to achieve climatic comfort. The Chaharsofeh houses of Zavareh represent a notable example of urban-rural dwellings adapted to the hot-arid climate of Iran, where cooling mechanisms are integrated into the architecture itself; however, they have not been thoroughly studied. This article aims to fill this gap by examining the architectural framework of Chaharsofeh from a climatic perspective, focusing on the building section as a key axis of natural cooling and ventilation.
Method: The research adopts an analytical-exploratory approach within the methodological framework of the case study research method, focusing on sixteen Chaharsofeh houses with basements in Zavareh, documented for the first time with special attention to their climatic components. Data were collected across six dimensions and analyzed through a triangulated method combining theoretical pattern matching, field-based evaluation, and cross-case pattern comparison.
Results:The study identifies the climatic form of Chaharsofeh, consisting of eight effective climatic components structured vertically in four sectional layers, forming an integrated system that enables the “breathing” of the building. Due to the simultaneous application of solar chimneys, earth cooling, and, in some cases, the addition of in-wall windcatchers, the framework functions as a synergistic system.
Conclusions: Ultimately, the Miankhaneh-basement cooling system of Zavareh’s Chaharsofeh houses is established as an independent, distinctive, and universal natural cooling model for hot-arid climates, alongside the reference model of the windcatcher. The findings further reveal the crucial role of the building section in the climatic performance of Iran’s hot-arid architecture, underscoring the necessity of integrating such strategies—outlined in this study—into the early stages of design for similar climates at both national and global scales.
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| Keywords: climatic Architecture, Chahārṣoffeh House, Miankhanhe, passive Cooling, climatic cection, hot-Arid climate. |
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Full-Text [PDF 1939 kb]
(67 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
معماری
Received: 2025/08/16 | Accepted: 2025/12/22 | Published: 2026/03/15
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