Abbasian House/
Project Details
Location(City/Country):
Kashan / Iran, Islamic Republic of
Tipology:
Residential
Year (Design/Construction):
- / 1839
Area (Net/Gross):
5000 m2 / -
Operational Carbon emissions (B6) kgCO2e/m2/y:
-
Embodied Carbon emissions (A1-A3) kgCO2e/m2:
-- This complex consists of five yards: three spacious courtyards and two smaller ones. The three main courtyards are located one level below ground and constitute sunken gardens that widen upwards. Enclosed within three-story buildings, these courtyards play a vital role in moderating the harsh arid climate of the area by providing shade and utilizing geocooling techniques.
- Building massing, filled and empty spaces in its geometry, sides and corners, and a combination of horizontal and vertical shading, make a self- shade facade that can mitigate the heat gain.
- The entire building, including walls, indoor and outdoor plasters, and roofs, is constructed using earth materials that are fully recyclable and non-toxic. Their high U-value and light color enable them to enhance thermal comfort by regulating indoor temperature and humidity.
- Large Eivans, that are roofed semi-open spaces enclosed on three sides, connecting the courtyards to the enclosed areas. They offer shade and serve seating areas during hot summers.
- The trees and the pools within the courtyards not only provide food, view and biophilia for the inhabitants, but also decrease the temperature through an evaporative cooling system. Additionally, they help prevent harsh sun reflections from entering the rooms.
- High parapets, domed roofs, and light-colored earth surfaces of the roofs provide a cool roof by making shade and radiative cooling.
- The presence of multiple pools in enclosed and semi open and open spaces helps to regulate humidity and air temperature through an evaporative cooling.
- Two windcatchers channel breezes into underground rooms through long and meandering canales reducing heat via convection system.
- Several Kolah Farangi, on the roofs develop the natural ventilation in indoor spaces, and intensify convection cooling.
The house Haj Seyyed Mohammad-Ebrahim Tajer, now known as Abbasian house, was built around 1839 and is one the most beautiful historic houses of Iran from the Qajar dynasty in Kashan. Despite captivating geometry and ornamentation, it can be called a passive cooling museum due to the numerous and diverse methods of cooling systems that effectively adapt to the climate of its context. Kashan has a hot desert climate, classified as (BWh) in the Köppen climate system. The city experiences cold winters (although milder compared to other Iranian cities) and scorching, dry summers. Its lower elevation sets Kashan apart, making it notably warmer than other areas on the Iranian Plateau.
The house has three large yards and two smaller ones, each with a private entrance, representing different parts of the property while connecting to the others. The axis of symmetry for the three larger courtyards aligns in an approximate north-south direction. The courtyards have one underground level that creates a sunken garden and expands up to three stories. Their main side, the longitudinal side, is distinguished by an Eivan entrance. The semi open spaces, especially large Eivans, provide shade and a nice connection between the yards and the indoor areas. The landscaping of all three courtyards adheres to the prevalent design approach of the era. A long pool and a pair of flanking flowerbeds are set in the front of the main area of the house, nearly enveloping the courtyard entirely. Placing pools within rooms or semi-open spaces enhances the relative humidity levels in these arid regions. It’s almost as if the architect excavated the city’s earth mass, filled it with water and greenery, encircled it with living spaces, and ultimately created a small universe, a suitable microclimate within this harsh, hot region.
Abbasian house has two main four sided windcatchers that channel airflow down to the lower level of the house through a large and winding pathway. As the outdoor winds traverse this extended route via an earth channel, their temperature considerably decreases. This cool breeze in the underground level, that benefits the geocooling too, creates one of the coolest spots in the house; a comfortable seating area during summer and an ideal space for storing fresh fruits and vegetables.
This residential complex is constructed with adobe and plastered with earth materials, exemplifying a full earth building. It benefits the ecological advantages like decreasing embodied energy, and showcases the beauty of using local and cultural materials in architecture. The material’s high thermal resistance makes it an ideal choice for managing temperature fluctuations in this arid region.
The light-colored building envelope functions to create cool façades and cool roofs through radiative cooling, although this is not the sole cooling strategy for the exterior surfaces. The dome-shaped roofs, tall parapets, both horizontal and vertical shading elements, and the details of wooden sash windows all contribute to lowering temperatures by providing effective shading.
For more information about passive cooling strategies of this case study you can see:
https://www.shareyourgreendesign.com/the-windcatchers/
https://www.shareyourgreendesign.com/courtyard-houses/
https://www.shareyourgreendesign.com/passive-cooling-strategies/
References:
Ganjnameh Cyclopedia of Iranian Islamic Architecture, Volume 16 Houses. (2016). Shahid Beheshti University.
- Photography: Sobhan Zare Mohazabiyeh
- Written by: Aida Zare
