The Introduction and Rating of ‘Yazd University Green Guest House’ Using ‘LEED v4’ Standard

Abstract

Aiming at reducing the consumption of resources, protecting the environment, and improving human health, the green approach is one of the most important and essential approaches in architecture today, with an emphasis needed on its practical aspects in Iran. Given the rich architectural tradition of the country, which is in line with present-day green architecture attitudes, there is a lack of any recent successful projects in the country. To address the matter, a ‘Green Guest House’ project was initiated using the project manager's experience, especially his ‘Passive Solar House’, in a mud architecture incarnation, in the hope that it offers a model for future developments. This small mud-brick building has no mechanical air conditioning systems and meets its thermal comfort needs through passive strategies. To prove its greenness the building required an assessment, and the LEED standard was selected as the most widely used standard, with an expanded checklist called ‘LEED v4 for Building Design & Construction: Homes and Multifamily Low rise’ used for rating, based on which the building achieved 67 points, demonstrating high green credentials and outrating the research silver tier assumption to be gold tier. This paper introduces the project, its passive strategies and green design measures, and also presents demonstrates how it achieves this LEEDv4 rating.‎

Keywords

• green architecture
• passive strategies
• rating system
• leedv4
• the green guest house