Traditional solutions in low energy buildings of hot-arid regions of Iran

• Traditional buildings in hot-arid regions of Iran were able to adapt to climate.
• Two factors are found in low energy buildings: constructional and behavioral patterns.
• The logical concepts of thermal rules behind the patterns are described.
• The criteria of house designing based on adaptive lifestyle are understood.
• Spatial organization was based on adaptive behavior and climate consideration.

While the quality of contemporary architecture and energy consumption is being criticized by many scholars and professionals in the world, traditional climate-responsive buildings seem to be good patterns. Using the technology and material of their own time, these buildings provided the users with environmental comfort conditions along with minimum energy consumption and ecological foot print.This article is an attempt to understand the solutions used in traditional architecture of Iran with an emphasis on dry and hot regions. Twenty traditional houses were studied and finally, two factors were found to be significant; first, constructional patterns based on climate considerations (such as basements, courtyards, wind-catchers, domical ceilings and porches) and second, the behavioral patterns as wide-ranging intelligent responses to climate (i.e. behavioral adaptations) seen in past lifestyles. Both factors are analyzed, since they are good evidences of the way lifestyle and knowledge have been used in order to overcome hot summers in considerable parts of the country.The main objective is to investigate how these solutions worked and how they can be used in low energy designs at present. It is not just to follow the formal elements, but to look at their thermal rules and take advantage of the logic behind them, which can be applied in current building methods. These results can help a better design to overcome today's global energy crisis.