Studying and Proposing an Energy-efficient Residential Design for Kashan with a Hot and Dry Climate

It seems that architectural design has an important effect on energy consumption. When designing the best energy-efficient form, the arrangement of rooms and the positioning of outer walls are crucial considerations. This study aims to determine the optimal form for reducing energy consumption by examining the influence of environmental phenomena on climatic design and considering traditional lifestyles. Thus, Kashan is selected as a case study, and a study is conducted on the principles of climatic design and the nomadic lifestyle of Kashan’s historical buildings. Two different designs for Kashan residential buildings are presented based on collected data. Findings demonstrate that utilizing Kashan City’s traditional and historical pattern of residential design and its central courtyard can help reduce energy consumption by 23% to 34%. The traditional design and preference for a nomadic lifestyle result in seasonal mobility inside the house’s spaces, which can be reduced by 38.1% using appropriate openings. It is also clarified that by utilizing and following the patterns of moving between spaces and using them seasonally, saving 4-15% in energy consumption is possible.