Climatic Typology of Vernacular Houses along the Northern Shores of the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea: How to Follow Paradigms in Contemporary Housing Design

Abstract

The climate of Iran’s south coasts is one of the rarest and most critical worldwide. Climate-aware design has been a fundamental aspect of Iranian houses. Therefore, the use of paradigms of functional spaces of vernacular houses in contemporary housing design can improve the comfort level in today's houses in similar climates. This article deals with the climatic typologies of vernacular houses in selected cities, ports, and islands through descriptive typology and the Grounded Theory model. The study is descriptive, based on the compositional indicators classified in multidimensional tables. Case studies are so organized to answer these questions of how many types of houses in the study area fall into terms of climatic criteria, and whether these types conform to the climatic typology of the regions. The results show that vernacular houses in Ahvaz, Dezful, Lar, and the ports of Lengeh, Bushehr, Chabahar, and Loft village in Gheshm Island, which were among the most populated areas in the past, are classifiable in three general types. This typology entirely corresponds with the climates of these regions. The compatibility of vernacular house types with climatic classifications shows that the patterns of these houses are devised according to their local climate, and therefore using them in today's architecture can result in improving comfort level.

Keywords

• typology
• climate
• vernacular houses
• southern iran