Thermal Behavior of Domed Roofs, Case Study: Historical Dome-Shaped Roofs of Isfahan

As a covering method of buildings` roof, domed roofs have mostly been applied in Iranian vernacular architecture and also in the Middle East region according to adobe material abundance comparing with timber. Furthermore, dome remains in the first place in architectural designs due to large area coverage and favorable thermal performance; so that it has been widely utilized in mosques, shrines, churches, bazaars and schools construction. On this account, the current research studies the role of shape in roofs energy loss, specifically throughout a day or year to achieve an optimized form. The paper compares of different domed roofs in hot and dry climatic zones of Iran, speciallyIsfahan city. The research method is based upon modeling and simulation as an alternative to field-based research. To achieve this goal, ten different types of domes are selected, modelled and simulated in energy soft-wares, such as Autodesk Ecotect 2010 and Energy plus 7, while categorizing arches based on inscribed arc angle in three types. The paper is to find a way to recognize the most efficient form of buildings domed roof which can be designed and applied in further contemporary construction and buildings. The result shows that the more roof area, the more building energy consumption is. This means that the dome with lower rise appears in more appropriate thermal performance since it has the least surface area; so type 1, dome with an inscribed arc less than 180 degrees has not only less surface area, but also least energy loss resultant.