Development of Climate Design Strategies for Educational Buildings in the Climatic Conditions of Dezful

Background and purpose:

Design of buildings based on climate is a method that helps to reduce energy demand of buildings for heating and cooling to use natural energy sources in order to create more comfort and reduce the use of fossil fuels in buildings. The objectives of this strategy include reducing the loss of thermal energy of buildings, reducing the effects of wind on the loss of thermal energy of buildings, providing ventilation of the interior spaces, benefiting from suitable outside climate, benefiting from solar energy for the heating demand of buildings and protecting buildings from sunlight.

Materials and Methods:

 In this study, the design strategy of educational buildings based on climate of Dezful has been developed. For this purpose, the hourly data of the Dezful synoptic station during1986-2019 were used by Climate Consultant and ASHRAE Standard 55. After receiving and standardizing the hourly data of various atmospheric elements, and loading these data into Climate Consultant, the results have been analyzed and the most suitable architectural model for the educational centers of Dezful has been proposed.

Findings and discussion :

Based on the output strategies of Climate Consultant and field visits to the schools of Dezful, the architecture of both the old and new schools, 9 strategies were developed and proposed for the sustainable design of schools in this city based on the factors affecting comfort and the principles such as window shading, high thermal mass, evaporative cooling, forced ventilation by fan and heating in addition to humidity, for the maximum use of the climatic capabilities of Dezful for school activities and avoidance of adverse climate, the most suitable orientation for light-reflecting structures and openings is the south first and second directions close to it for the schools of Dezful. For schools that have already been built and there is no other choice but to use these schools, by planting trees along the walls and undesired openings, the adverse effects of solar radiation can be minimized. The results of the field visits to the city's schools showed that for the design and construction of the new schools, the direction of the south is observed more than the old schools.

 The conflict between architecture and climate leads to an increase in energy use for cooling and heating of buildings; which has negative economic and environmental consequences in addition to mental and psychological health damage for the residents. Therefore, it is necessary to know the climate of each region and determine the standard for spaces according to the climate of each region. As a result, the design of high-performance educational buildings requires the use of accurate and scientific models and software. The study results showed that Climate Consultant 5.5 is highly effective on the design of educational spaces to discover climate design ideas in educational buildings. Therefore, this software should be used for the design of educational spaces in other cities of the province. Given that children and adolescents are more vulnerable to adverse climate in residential and educational spaces compared to adults, and in these spaces, climatic comfort and peace of mind are very important to increase the quality of education. The building design compatible with the climate is very important. To achieve this desired model, the use of walls and openings along the south or directions close to it towards the southeast is the most suitable for the design of educational spaces. 17 strategies were developed and proposed for the design and construction of schools in this city. These strategies can be a document for designers and engineers to achieve the design and construction of schools and educational spaces in Dezful based on its climate.