International Journal of

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School buildings as a major part of public buildings are considered as one of the basic consumers of energy in Iran. Based on building typology and occupancy patterns, school buildings have a great potentiality for energy optimization while providing thermal comfort. This study investigates the architectural design parameters such as orientation, optimum window to wall ratio, space organization, sun shading, building shape etc. which have a great impact on the energy demand. For the purpose of this study a typical elementary school has been selected, modeled and analyzed by integrating different design measures using a dynamic simulation software tool. The optimum amounts for various architectural design parameters are calculated. The results reveal that through energy efficient architectural design the primary energy demand of the studied case has reduced by 31% while keeping visual and thermal comfort compared to the existing building.

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Human’s disregard to nature and consequently his living environment’s distance from natural endowments and potentials have caused many problems. Human’s living spaces are less desirable for him, and have destroyed his comfort in many cases, as man-made things. In this regard, public open spaces in residential areas can be mentioned because they are usually considered among the most vulnerable spaces due to having the least thermal comfort and spatial quality. This is because they are able to provide comfort only if they interact with nature and use natural energy sources such as sun, wind, plants etc. In this regard, this study focused on providing comfort specifically thermal comfort in residential public open spaces by using natural endowments and energies especially the sun and shade provided by solar radiation. This study aimed to analyze the climatic factors in Yazd meteorological station, especially the temperature and radiation analysis and making this information meaningful regarding human’s thermal comfort in open spaces to introduce the climate potentials specifically the sun. Then, some traditional houses in Yazd were analyzed, their length, width and heights were surveyed, the real shade masks of the walls in yards were measured, and a logical relationship was observed between solar radiation and yard proportions and how the shade is formed in these yards. Therefore, it could be concluded what the role of these proportions and the best yard proportions is to provide the thermal comfort in open spaces.

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Day lighting is one of the important qualitative factors in housing, which is also effective on health and well-being of occupants. Extensive glass surfaces and Transparency in building facades provides good daylight quantity for interior spaces. However, this lighting system is not appropriate for climates faced with higher sunlight radiation (Such as hot-humid areas), due to overheating and disturbing the thermal comfort. There are efficient day lighting strategies in the traditional Iranian architecture as one of the valuable remaining heritages of Human experiences, which are useful for contemporary architecture. This article intends to investigate daylight quality in the houses of Bushehr from Qajar period by modeling and simulating in daylight calculation software (Dialux) and identify day lighting strategies utilized in these houses. As Bushehr city is located in the hot-humid region of Iran, is faced with high sunlight radiation, making balance between receiving light and heat gain through windows needs careful attention. The houses of Qajar period in Bushehr are evolved samples of traditional architecture in the city and Rashidy house (built in 1893) is one of them which its form and details can reveal many lessons on coping with climate by merely using renewable energies.

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Outdoor spaces and their thermal condition is becoming a controversial issue in modern architecture and urbanism. It has a great effect on people who use the open spaces like campuses where many students from different cities spend most of their time. This research investigated the effect of SVF, MRT and PET in the two campuses namely: Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) and Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT). Thermal condition of campuses has diverse states due to their different level of shaded open spaces. PET is calculated via Rayman for thermal-comfort assessment in spring and summer, 2015. Subsequently, it was determined that by decreasing SVF to 0.4, Tmrt declines to 3.04°C. The variations of MRT's influence PETs drop. PET comparison in two campuses illustrates that in an average value of PET, there is 0.86°C dissimilarity between campuses in the warmest time of the year (July). IUST campus is 1.39°C cooler on the PET measure. In conclusion, increasing shaded spaces by increasing green spaces and trees can create cooler campuses. Integrated design of shaded open spaces with their architectural forms is recommended as a design strategy for the designers to create a responsive environment in terms of thermal comfort. By this means, cooler campuses are more prone to be used by students and their activities.

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Thermal mass is the material's ability to store heat and release it after an amount of time and concrete is considered one of the best thermal mass material. Since concrete has been used widely in many building constructions, by considering the capability of concrete in terms of thermal mass, it is worthwhile to use this ability of concrete in order to build buildings more healthy and comfortable for an increase in the occupants’ performance. Ventilated Hollow Core Slab (VHCS) is one of the efficient ways to provide adequate thermal mass within buildings. The present study aimed to assess the thermal performance of VHCS; and its effect on the occupant's thermal comfort of a college building located in Luton, England, using a VHCS system as the exposed thermal mass. Various techniques have been used over two weeks and the recorded data were analyzed. Based on the findings from the review of existing literature in the field and the integrated approach outlined in this paper, results indicate that the application of VHCS as a thermal mass in university buildings decrease not only the daily temperature fluctuation but also the number of times with extreme heat or colds. Results also show the influence of the system on the level of habitants’ thermal comfort; though, this influence could be varied hinge on physical and psychological factors.
 

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Using the concept of passive cooling systems has been utilized as a solution to improve thermal and wind comfort and to decrease energy consumption and environmental pollution, recently. Modern windcatcher, as its name denotes, is an architectural element which is using the concept of Badgir and combined proper devices to create ventilation in buildings using wind energy, but including modern technology. It means that the modern windcatcher is an improved model of traditional windcatchers and the design of modern windcatchers is based on computations and they have been analyzed and improved, unlike the ancient ones. The current investigation focused on the technology of modern windcatchers to face how modern technology uses various methods to foster the windcatchers' performance. The purpose of this manuscript is to summarize previous studies on the technology of modern wind catchers and gives insight into the application of windcatchers as passive cooling systems. different employed methods to foster the windcatchers' performance.

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Achievement of thermal comfort in the built environment is one of the human life needs. Many studies have already explored the issues around human comfort in relation to the surrounding thermal environment. However, most of these studies used quantitative methods that fall into the positivist paradigm. Despite the conducive results obtained, many aspects of the thermal comfort are neglected as the nature of comfort is directly associated with the human dimension. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a different approach such as qualitative and mixed methods to better understand the underlying mechanisms of thermal comfort concept and its achievement. These methods could reveal other aspects of human comfort that have not been considered. However, the application of these methods requires fundamental knowledge of ontology and epistemology. Therefore, this paper reviewed and compared the dynamics of the application of the paradigms in thermal comfort studies and their methodologies. Analytical findings among the methods of studying thermal comfort showed that only quantitative studies were not sufficient to create the applied knowledge in this vein. As this is a human-based field, its methodology should be first selected and then designed in the right way respecting the context where a study is going to be carried out. In this process, qualitative studies can determine contributing factors, then quantitative studies can find the relationships between these factors.

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Due to the climate change impact, personal thermal comfort (PTC) studies in buildings have been highlighted to reconsider previous results. PTC causes thermal adaptation) physical, physiological, and psychological adaptation (that is the process of acclimatization to different conditions. Thermal comfort is affected by environmental, personal, mental, cognitive, and behavioral criteria. This study was conducted to emphasize the effects of psychological components on PTC in order to improve offices indoor environment quality and reduce energy consumption. In this perspective, cognitive flexibility and resilience have been selected to examine PTC and the ability to accept and choose thermal adaptive strategies based on cognitive characteristics. The research question is: do different cognitive flexibility and resilience level lead to different levels of PTC and conscious/unconscious reaction? To answer this question and calculate comfort temperature, field study was carried out in an office building. The study had two steps: questionnaire and on-site measurements. The questionnaire included an assessment of psychological components, personal components, and thermal responses scales. Environmental components were measured using mobile instruments and the nearest weather station data. A study of 108 participants indicated that cognitive flexibility and resilience had a significant correlation with thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and thermal preferences. So, we can have linear and logistic regression models to predict adaptive behavior, thermal comfort, and thermal preferences based on psychological and personal components. Analysis of comfort temperature using the Griffiths method showed indoor temperature should be 23.7°C for the majority of occupants. We can also be sure that at least two degrees change in indoor temperature is needed to shift occupants’ thermal sensation.

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Given the different climate conditions worldwide, the need for climate zone-based architectural designs is evident. This need is more felt, particularly in critical thermal conditions, and is the most important challenge for an architect. One of the main sub-climates that require a special design is the humid subtropical climate in which winters are cold and rainy, and usually, the ambient temperature is lower than the comfort zone, with hot and humid summers that demand a temperature drop to achieve a comfort zone. The most fundamental problem is thus to provide cooling and heating systems in such environments. Accordingly, the present work aims at providing critical climate conditions with potential solutions. Here, Sari, with a humid subtropical climate, was selected as a case study, and its thermal conditions were investigated utilizing Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) indices, and the Rayman model. The results of our first study question revealed that the percentage of days with thermal comfort was 16.9%. Also, 16.3% and 17% of the days had slight and mild cold stress, respectively. Subsequently, the results from data analysis indicated that the ventilation and dehumidification cooling systems can be considered the most appropriate passive methods. In addition, the elements of the indigenous architecture including Iwan, Talaar, upstairs house, and sloping roof, which all are rooted in the vernacular architecture of the city of Sari can be introduced as the most effective architectural solutions. Our findings are of great importance for architects and designers because such findings will guide the design of complex site conditions and even the building construction by considering the thermal comfort factor.
 

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Nowadays, global climate change makes urban planners and designers pay more attention to thermal islands to enhance thermal comfort conditions in cities. The present study aims to investigate the effects of evergreen and deciduous tree placement patterns, tree canopy height, and tree canopy diameter on the enhancement of ambient temperature and improvement of thermal comfort conditions. The ENVI-met model was used to replicate the research region and site. It was validated by comparing the outputs of the model with the values from field measurements. Finally, the recommended scenarios were simulated in the model to discover those scenarios with better performance in enhancing outdoor thermal comfort and temperature on days with low temperatures. At low-temperature situations, planting evergreen trees irregularly had a stronger impact on the improvement of thermal comfort (PMV) compared to deciduous trees. Furthermore, in all models, Populus nigra and Platanus showed the worst performance in boosting ambient temperature. Landscape designers and urban planners might use the findings to improve urban green space, construct sustainable cities, and enhance air temperature.
 

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The incorporation of various openings that permit daylight into interior spaces significantly influences thermal comfort. In the central region of Iran, Orosi windows are a prevalent architectural feature in courtyard buildings. These latticed door-windows are embellished with colorful glass pieces arranged in geometric patterns. This study aims to evaluate the impact of glass color in Orosi windows on their thermal and daylight performance. The primary objective is to determine the thermal comfort and daylight performance of a typical Qajarian Orosi with different glass colors (colorful, red, blue, yellow, green, colorless) and to identify the optimal glass color for Orosi windows. The findings reveal that the glass color of Orosi windows not only affects thermal comfort but also has a significant impact on daylight performance. Yellow glass offers the most favorable thermal conditions, irrespective of the season. In terms of daylight performance, all glass colors perform adequately; however, the Orosi with yellow glass achieves the highest values for spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) and Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE). The next preferred options, in descending order, are colorless, green, and blue glass. Considering both daylight and thermal performance, it is recommended to use Orosi windows with yellow glass due to the 22% improvement in annual thermal comfort and satisfactory daylight performance.