Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
RESEARCH ARTICLE
a
Department of Architecture, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran
b
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Golestan University, Gorgan, Golestan, Iran
Received 30 January 2017; received in revised form 31 May 2017; accepted 30 June 2017
KEYWORDS Abstract
Urban fabric; The architecture of Qeshm Island includes the specific architectural style of a warm and wet
Building form; area, which previously had a functional use aimed to reach a sustainable architecture
Hot and and
humid cli- development. However, few studies on the identification of the characteristics of vernacular
mate; architecture and their roles in island stability have been performed. Thus, to understand the
Traditional architec- vernacular architecture of the island as a sustainable pattern, we discussed it separately
ture; in
Wind catcher
three aspects, namely, urban fabric, one-based architecture, and architectural details. To
address our study, a part of the old fabric of the city with its existing buildings (42 buildings of
70 years of age) was selected and evaluated in a qualitative study. Results showed that in
the
scale of the urban fabric, factors, such as the structures of the buildings, the frame of the
neighborhood spaces, and in terms of the architectural details, factors, such as bars, thickness
of the walls, and the openings, are among the vernacular features of the area, playing
an
important role in the stability of Qeshm Island. In general, studies showed that vernacular
architecture of the island has focused on developing an orientation between the climate of
the region and a good understanding of the construction.
& 2017 Higher Education Press Limited Company. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
on
behalf of KeAi. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
1. Introduction
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
n
Corresponding author. The most important issue in today's world in which man has
E-mail addresses: m.pazhouhanfar@gmail.com, a critical role is the reduction of energy consumption
m.pazhouhanfar@gu.ac.ir (M. Pazhouhanfar). (Maleki, 2011). Clearly, approximately 40% of the global
Peer review under responsibility of energy is consumed in the construction sector (Sisson et al.,
Southeast University.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2017.06.006
2095-2635/& 2017 Higher Education Press Limited Company. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.
on behalf of KeAi. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
12 H.M. Mazraeh, M. Pazhouhanfar
radiation conditions in Qeshm Island at different months of center and of the city need to be considered. The factor
the year. In addition, because the bioclimatic design is that has played a fundamental and crucial role in the
based on the physical condition of the buildings, the emergence of powerful cities since ancient times is the
knowledge and ability to exploit sunlight, heat, and air flow climate. Climate is known as a vital element in recognizing
through the building shell at the exact time needed on an architectural structure and is necessary in building
specific days and months of the year can provide significant structures in Qeshm Island. The structure can be classified
data for building structures in Qeshm Island (Szokolay, according to the warm and moist climates as follows.
2014).
3. Method
● The urban tissue is semidense and semicompact, and the
Sustainable architecture in Qeshm Island consisted of a rural tissues are semiopen with semienclosed spaces.
unique style in a bioclimatic region and is built based on ● Semidense tissue not only creates shade on the levels
the special conditions in urban planning and architecture. and
on the fronts but also provides air flow inside the tissue,
However, no serious study has been conducted to identify if necessary.
sustainable architecture in the hot and humid climate of ● Expansion of towns and villages along the coast and
the region (Anna-Maria, 2009; Daengbuppha et al., 2006). toward the sea provides the opportunity to take advan-
To address these issues, 42 buildings dating back over 70 tage of sea breezes.
years ago were selected to analyze the ways of preparing
the materials, the process of constructing the buildings 1. Urban scale
with these materials, the urban and local spatial
relationships, the morphology of the intersections, the 1. Structure of neighborhood spaces
alternative urban routes, the natural ventilation through 1. Spatial urban and local relationships. In forming
the passages, rout- ing, the used elements in the building the neighborhoods, the city was divided into several equal
exterior, and the central yard built in the style of parts while considering several central points for local
vernacular architecture of Qeshm Island. The present study community, i.e., spaces, such as mosques, schools, and
aims to address the effects of bioclimatic factors on the business centers. In the past, this neighborhood-formation
formation of architecture and urbanism (i.e., weather style was very popular in Iran that can be stated that first,
conditions, joint and periodic programs of buildings, the center of the neighborhood or city was designed. Then,
materials used, and their effects on the performance of with regard to the buildings with the central
the building along with the rate of taking advantage from neighborhood, the city or the neighborhood was expanded
the passive solar energy and the structural performance of (Figure 3).
the building) of Qeshm Island to obtain background Essentially, four types of communication can be seen in
knowledge of the status quo of the vernacular structure in the old tissue of Qeshm Island, namely, limited-connected
three scales including urban fabric, single-based homes, connection between the houses and the
architecture, and architectural details. community centers, connection between cities, and
connection between urban spaces and exterior space of
4. Architectural and urban properties of old the city. Notably, all of these types have been influential in
tissue of Qeshm Island the development of the functional city. Meanwhile,
Few studies have been performed on the local architecture achieving an increased level of climatic comfort is
and urbanism. Significantly, the effect of climate on the dependent on the traditional model, which can be
physical formation and spatial presentation of the living justified by Venturi Law.
The net of strengthening airflow was equally calculated
by the mechanical system. Thus, the use of wind energy
14 H.M. Mazraeh, M. Pazhouhanfar
would be economically effective. In the local context of reconciliation”. The width to height ratio in these alleys is
the island, the squares were placed together as dense and often 1:5–1:10 (Figure 5).
close as possible, allowing a distance of 20–75 m from each The neighborhoods consist of alleys with narrow openings
other. The large number of these squares in the differently and high walls, which are often in shade during the days.
sized neighborhoods along with their proximity has created In
a good urban structure and several passages for the the historic fabric of the island, no blind street existed,
architec- ture in harmony with the climate (Figure 4). and the blocks were surrounded by the streets to provide
4.1.1.2. Routing. Qeshm Island has a very dense texture. the maximum levels of fresh air. The communication
In addition, most buildings were designed as the central network was affected by temperature and humidity of
courtyard and various other forms along with several long the environ- ment, wind direction, terrain, local materials,
streets and squares. Compared with the other regions in property and local custom, and economic and social
Iran, the traditional alleys and streets in Qeshm Island were features (Figure 6). The passages were built in
very narrow, providing difficulty for two people passing by. accordance with the verna- cular architecture of the
Therefore, they were named as “the streets of island because of the sun angle. Therefore, the
pedestrians, exposed to harsh sunlight, did not feel it in
the local streets as far as possible. In other
Figure 4 (a) Positioning of squares through urban passages and their distance; (b) Morphology of city squares.
Figure 5 (a) Comparison between the width of the streets and the penetration rate; (b) Route framework.
Effects of vernacular architecture structure 15
words, vernacular architects considered the ratio of the low buildings in the central plateau of Iran is that even though
width to the height and created pathways with high these buildings are introverted, their relationship with the
thermal comfort for the pedestrians (Figure 7). outer space is not completely closed. In addition, tall and
In Qeshm Island, a city with narrow, broken, and high windows and wide porches facing the streets or squares
meander alleys to form urban passages with high were placed in the second and, especially, in the third floors
thermal comfort of the buildings to use bilateral air inside the rooms and
was attempted to be built (Figure 8). Fractures caused reduce heat intensity. Thus, the required ventilation was
by the alleys have caused less exposure to the sun's rays to provided by opening the windows facing the courtyard and
the alley surfaces. Thus, the observed difference in air the windows facing the street because in the afternoons or
tem- perature across a network of pathways would cause evenings, the sun intensity is less. The family members used
changes in air pressure and internal air flows of the to sit on the external porch facing the sea and enjoy the
alleys. wind flow blowing between the sea and the beach. In this
4.2. Buildings
area, the porch was greater compared with that in mainland
Iran and was considered as a key space in the building.
4.2.1. Orientation of buildings
During hot seasons, lasting for approximately six months,
Given that most houses in the island were low lying and
daily activities were often performed within the porch
encapsulated, ventilation through the roof seemed
because it is well ventilated and in shade. Thus, large and
suitable. Meanwhile, proper orientation of the building can
high porches were built both around the central courtyard
be useful in moving air flow for natural ventilation of the
and on one or two sides of the exterior (Preusser et al.,
region, especially in hot and humid climate. Although the
2003). These porches were designed for air circulation,
purpose of constructing such houses was to obtain the
connected the interior and exterior spaces to provide good
minimum solar energy during hot seasons of the year, the
performance for air condi- tioning in different seasons in the
most appropriate orientation for the building was the
local buildings of the island. In general, the vernacular
north–south direction with 151 east of the south. Given
architects considered the main factor, which is the form, to
the minimum and maximum amounts of the solar energy
set up the buildings. Therefore, the form of the buildings
received during the hot and cold months of the year,
was considered in the wind-flow direction (north to south)
respectively, 621 east to 131 west was also suitable in
to benefit from wind breeze. As shown in Figure 10, the
this regard (Figure 9).
form of the building also exhibited a great effect on the
4.2.2. Building form determination of the position during winter and summer
Most buildings in the island are semiintroverted with rooms stay.
designed around a central courtyard. The main difference To identify the surface area to volume ratio, four housing
between these buildings with a central courtyard and similar styles with a central courtyard in the island were used
to
16 H.M. Mazraeh, M. Pazhouhanfar
Figure 8 (a) Street fractures to provide shade. (b) Open spaces through routes and squares.
Figure 10 Table of seasonal positioning of spaces with natural ventilation performance in buildings.
Table 2 Surface area to volume (A/V) ratio in vernacular buildings of Qeshm Island.
Central court- A/V a (m) b (m) c (m) h (m) I A/V a (m) b (m) c (m) h (m)
type
yard plan 0.8 15 15 3.60 6 plan 0.5 26 26 10 6
0.5 27 27 8 6 0.6 27 27 8 6
0.7 19 19 4.30 6 0.7 19 19 4.30 6
0.8 16 16 5 6 0.8 16 16 4.80 6
0.9 14 14 3.20 6 0.9 14 14 4.20 6
0.5 18 18 7 6 1 10 10 3.20 6
U type plan 0.6 22 22 8.00 6 L type 0.5 26 26 10 6
0.7 17 17 7 6 plan 0.6 24 24 6.80 6
0.7 16 16 8 6 0.7 18 18 5.30 6
0.8 15 15 4 6 0.8 15 15 4 6
0.8 16 16 5 6 0.9 14 14 4 6
0.9 14 14 4 6 1 10 10 3.30 6
mounted on the ceiling used for natural ventilation within natural cooling in the building. Moreover, the grids built as
the building's internal spaces. It works through attracting the holes in the middle of the exterior walls showed
wind and circulating it in the interior spaces and finally functional and decorative uses and were used for natural
sends out hot wind through the openings of the wind ventilation because of their special geometry. In other
catcher from the other side (Figure 12). words, wind flow is heavily dependent on the geometry and
4.2.3.3. Natural ventilation elements used in building the proportions of the passages. However, the rooms with
shell. According to surveys conducted for hundreds of years, multi- ple windows (as a natural ventilation element) were
we can conclude that to create an atmosphere of thermal placed several meters above the ground in long and drawn
comfort, the best way is to use accessible materials and openings of the alleys to attract high-speed winds and lead
climate-responsive construction technologies (Bodach et al., them into the interior space of the buildings. These rooms
2014). In addition, natural ventilation can be regarded as a were mostly built in the middle openings of the buildings
proper cooling strategy with significant advantages to and in the spaces of the streets and along the beach
provide (Figure 13).
18 H.M. Mazraeh, M. Pazhouhanfar
Figure 11 (a) Studied space of blocks; (b) Elongation of blocks in north–south direction.
Figure 12 Wind flow in wind catcher through breathing air. Grid influence for natural ventilation of the interior space after
hot air. venting
4.2.3.4. Combination of two elements including louver and of the buildings. In addition, because of its effect on
lattice in the building interior and wind circulation. As decoration and providing shade and its minimal water
illustrated in Figures 14 and 15, the desirable wind flows requirement and its fruit, palm tree is regarded as the
into the inner space through these two elements (louver most important plant of the island (Figure 16).
and lattice). In addition, undesirable air is pushed out in
the opposite side. Given that warm air tends to rise and
cool air tends to come down because of great density, the 4.2.5. Courtyard
wind flows into the interior through the shabak embedded Central courtyard in a building can be considered as a
in the walls and the louver in the ceiling and flows out passive but useful system, which can easily help in air
from the opposite side of the louver. The wind circulation circulation of the building. Studies and experience have
is very similar to human respiration. This method was how proven that our ancestors’ vernacular architecture has been
our ancestors can find a suitable model with the knowledge a convenient source for studying and understanding the
about adapting building design to climate and appropriate designs of the basic buildings along with a reuse of
use of elements in available spaces. architectural solutions consistent with climate (Motealleh
et al., 2016). Moreover, the combination of open and
semiopen spaces in these native homes can also create
4.2.4. Green surfaces wind flow both in the context of life and in the central
Palm trees were regarded as the main shade supplier courtyard.
because of the high density of urban fabric and to avoid The presence of the central courtyard in the main part of
any negative effect on air flow in the streets. Thus, palm a building conveys a passive system that can easily benefit
trees are known as “the green space of Qeshm Island”. from air circulation (Shahin and Takapoomanesh, 2014). The
Notably, its main application was in the central courtyards greatest area used for creating a central courtyard in
the
Effects of vernacular architecture structure 19
Figure 13 Turret decoration, natural ventilation elements within, and elements of natural ventilation on external elements.
Figure 14 Wind performance in the summer and winter parts of Amir Bahador's house.
local buildings of Qeshm Island was shaped as a square or Thus, the landlady was able to cook food in the veranda for
rectangle. Thus, the streets (b and c) were narrower than its landlord and his guests or colleagues. Given that no
the central courtyard (a), mainly to enable the natural plumbing existed in the city and the underground water
ventilation system within the urban fabric and urban devel- was salty, the presence of water storages in the houses of
opment. In addition, the narrow streets can circulate wind the affluent is a vital and necessary phenomenon. During
flows rapidly in the climate of the island, which has high rain- fall, running water from the roof and the yard flows
moisture content. The mild breeze can enter through the toward the water storage built at the bottom of one of the
lattice similar to a space high up the walls into the central ground floor rooms to be used for cooking and drinking
courtyard to ventilate its space naturally (Figure 17). purposes during the year.
Figure 15 Performance of wind catcher and grids in the natural ventilation of the interior space of Amir Bahador's house.
Figure 16 (a) View of using palm trees in central courtyard of Qeshm Island; (b) irrigation chart of eight months of the year.
Figure 18 Function and interior spatial relationships of buildings with communication between the interior and exterior spaces.
Figure 19 (a) Modern building construction on island; (b) Graph and photo of single-layer pattern and opposite opening in
traditional tissue of Qeshm Island; (c) Graph and photo of the introversion and extraversion in the field.
Figure 20 Photographs and diagrams of the roof and skyline in background and shadow of casting building over the other buildings.
construction. After recognizing the constructible ground capacity. The outer walls were thick and, up to the altitude
and soil excavation, the house was built with the same soil of approximately 50–70 cm, were built with special materi-
as a combination of mortar and stone. Thick walls were also als, such as bricks and stones.
made with this material to reflect a great amount of solar
energy. Bright soil color was the best color material choice
in this hot and humid area. As expressed in Table 3, the 4.3.3. Using local materials
main frame of the building was made of materials with very In the island, the most important parts of the houses were
high thermal mass. These walls displayed high thermal extracted from sedimentary stones taken from the
nearby
22 H.M. Mazraeh, M. Pazhouhanfar
Figure 21 Use of external post and shear walls to prevent landslides in areas prone to earthquakes and with a high-moisture
content.
cliffs. These pieces were sliced in large sizes of the rocks to lifted apart on two opposite walls. Then, they were covered
fit brick dimension. Then, they were used in the load- with the mat. Finally, the roof level was covered with a cob
bearing walls as fillers and separators. Materials, which were layer (see Figures 22–24).
drawn on the walls as the final plate, were prepared by the The floor and the outer walls were exposed to moisture
plaster taken from Bandar Khamīr, straw mortar from around because of the island nature of the area and its proximity
the island. In addition, in ceilings, mangrove and predate with
wood and cob were used as the main construction high humidity. Thus, the building has been set up with
materials. In these beaches, using arches and domes was not certain considerations. In other words, after excavation, the
common, and most buildings had flat cob arches. First, the floor was leveled with a straw mortar. It was covered to a
long wooden beams, approximately 30 cm in their original depth of approximately 50 cm by the limestone riprap and
form, were concrete. The surface of this foundation was paved with a
straw mortar,
Effects of vernacular architecture structure 23
Figure 24 Diagram analysis of formation of urban context due to weather conditions: (a) sunlight and (b) groundwater
penetration.
and the walls were set up with stones and mortars at every altitudes. The slope extending from the west to the east
30 cm. The wall thickness varied from 50 cm to 70 cm. The of the land was also constructed in this manner.
best functional element in such hot and humid area was the
wooden beams with low heat capacity, e.g., plywood.
This 10 cm-diameter timber, which was placed in every 5. Conclusion
20 cm on two walls (carrying wood had a large cross section
providing large intervals), was covered by the palm leaf Although vernacular architecture has experienced tremendous
mat changes during the history, it has failed to maintain its special
(Godats) or the wooden network. The mat was also identity. Thus, it is considered as a valid certificate of the
covered with desert sand and was rolled up. This sand was style of building structure in an area to illustrate itself in the
used for aligning the slope. Moreover, during the rare rainy functional and structural principles and cope with the climate
days, absorbing moisture from the top layer prevented its and esthetics. Given that environment includes nature, cul-
dis- placement. This soil was also covered with a 5-cm ture, and man and their close relationship, in the vernacular
straw mortar. Notably, replacing it was required every 10– architecture of Qeshm Island, providing a connection between
15 years. The rich families used to plaster their houses the social and cultural factors is necessary to pay attention to
with gypsum mortar, whereas the poor ones simply used the relationship between man and his environment and human
straw mortar thatch. Interestingly, in terms of structure, scale, meeting the physical and emotional needs of the
the roof of such buildings was the weakest part of the residents. Native buildings of the island are of special sig-
house because no tight coupling existed between the nificance mainly because of the use of nonfossil fuels and
beams and walls and even the beams themselves. Thus, as clean and renewable energy. Thus, it has been able to
an unstable structure, it was highly vulnerable to provide suitable space for organic growth, designing in
earthquake. This kind of mortar showed no resistance harmony with the site and climate, saving and conserving
against the rain. Thus, the absorbed moisture can easily energy in construc- tion and maintenance, and using local
provide discomfort for the residents and gradually decay materials (mud, wood, palm leaves, soil, etc.). In fact, based
the building materials. on the energy required for the maintenance and adjustment
4.3.4. Permeability of underground water of environmental condi- tions with proper design of full and
More distances can be seen in the west in terms of height empty spaces in both micro and macro scales, proper
than that in the east because the western height of the orientation of buildings and the use of a passive system in
island is higher than its east one. Thus, most buildings are preserving sustainability are considered and are proposed as
short in the East. In fact, a glimpse at this issue shows that suitable patterns for modern architecture. To expand its
the buildings of Qeshm Island are built on orientation with the regional climate, the vernacular
different architecture of Qeshm Island has focused on
24 H.M. Mazraeh, M. Pazhouhanfar
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