جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "thermal comfort" در نشریات گروه "هنر و معماری"

Establishing thermal comfort zones solely through natural ventilation in hot and humid climates is challenging.. Continuous reliance on mechanical cooling can compromise indoor air quality, posing health risks to building occupants. The building's skin and windows play a crucial role in the heat exchange, cooling loads, energy demands, and the thermal comfort of the residents. This study aimed to minimize total annual discomfort hours and solar radiation heat gain from external windows while utilizing natural ventilation in a residential building in Asalouyeh City’s hot humid cliamte. Additionally, the study examined the impact of transparent and opaque wall materials, as well as window shadings, on the optimal Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR)to minimize solar gain and discomfort hours.

For each common and proposed configuration of building construction and different values for WWR (10%-90%), the annual Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and the Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) were determined at 1-hour intervals in a sitting zone of the case study building. The indices were also determined for the thermal peak day at 30-minute intervals. The obtained values were compared with the comfort range recommended by ASHRAE Standard 55 (+0.5 < PMV < -0.5, 0 < PPD < 80%). The annual total hours during which achieving thermal comfort through natural ventilation is possible were calculated. Finally, the optimal window-to-wall ratio (WWR) and opening areas in the optimal construction configuration were determined using the optimization method.

With a WWR of 30% (a common ratio in building construction), the total annual solar radiation heat gain decreased from 3574 kW to 270 kW with proposed materials. The seating area remained within the comfortable temperature range for at least 737 hours throughout the year, thanks to natural cooling. Optimal WWR values included 10%, 16%, 18%, 20%, 22%, 24%, 26%, 32%, 34%, 36% in combination with open areas of  75%, 49%, 84%, 54%, 66%, 36%, 94%, 38%, 5%, 5%respectively. The optimal properties for transparent surfaces include aluminum thermal break window frames, a 1-meter overhang, and left and right side-fin shadings for windows made from lightweight concrete cast (Conductivity: 0.3800 W/m-K, Specific Heat: 1000.00 J/kg-K, Density: 1200.00 kg/m³, Thickness: 0.002 m), and 6mm/6mm air blue double-glazed glass (SHGC: 0.15, LT: 0.15, U-Value: 2.555 W/m²-K). The conductivity, specific heat, density, and thickness of the outermost and innermost layers were 0.16 and 0.17 W/m-K, 880.00 and 900.00 J/kg-K, 2800.00 and 1390.00 kg/m³, 0.002 and 0.005 m, respectively. The study also introduced the thermal properties of non-transparent surfaces.

Findings showed that the glass properties (Light Transmission and Thermal transmittance or U-Value) and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (total solar transmission) are the most important factors in determining the optimal design compared to other parameters (including thermal insulation, R-value of non-transparent surfaces, shading devices). Although minimizing WWR is recommended for hot and humid climates, this ratio can be increased by choosing the appropriate glass.

Problem statement: 

The global need for environmental protection has propelled the green movement worldwide. An emerging management challenge for all organizations in third-millennium cities is to protect natural resources while reducing their negative environmental impact and increasing sustainable performance. Greening is needed in this era to preserve natural resources. Green architecture is examined and evaluated in light of the green movement that took place from the 1950s to 2010. Green architecture describes and evaluates the most relevant architectural projects that integrate the energy systems approach to reduce demand, provide renewable energy supply, and enable energy storage. Studies show that green architecture has evolved significantly and has been given different names depending on the interests or concerns of the time. It has progressed at varying rates depending on the technical, economic, environmental, and political drivers and barriers of each period.

The main objective of this paper is to provide a brief review of the relationship between the parameters of the green movement and explain the relationship between architectural design and human health in third-millennium cities. 

The research method adopted in this paper is the comparative study method, which focuses on the fundamental components of the green movement through the use of Bibliometrix and VOSviewer software to analyze and investigate 230 related published articles from 2008 to 2024, and infers the results in relation to thermal comfort.

The most important finding of this research is manifested in three components: thermal comfort, urban green space, and facade design. The main conclusion of this paper can be summarized and stated as devising green facade designs to increase green spaces based on thermal delight.

The aim of this research is to evaluate the capabilities and limitations of climate parameters in Shiraz’s urban design and architecture with a focus on energy management. For this purpose, Climate Consultant software was used; this software can display and graphically examine climatic features and uses a strong and documented database called EPW in the time step of long-term hourly averages for radiation data, dry temperature, soil temperature at different depths, relative humidity, and wind speed and direction. Determining the level of comfort and providing energy-saving strategies in different climate zones are among the important capabilities of this tool. The results showed that the months of January, February, and December are completely outside the range of thermal comfort, and the most comfortable conditions are in the radiation range of 800 to 900 W/m2 with a temperature range of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. According to the psychometric chart, 10.1% of the hours of the year are in complete comfort conditions, and reaching comfort conditions in other hours and days of the year requires the use of different strategies. The ideal thickness for the mass of the walls is estimated to be 4 to 5 inches with optimal materials (brick, concrete, and stone), and it is better for the mass of the inner wall to be denser than the outer wall. It is very convenient to use massive structures with small holes that perform night ventilation. Ceiling fans can reduce indoor temperature by at least 2.8 degrees Celsius. Flat roofs with light colors are the most suitable option, and in designs with courtyards, the presence of small ponds is very effective in cooling the adjacent rooms. Interior spaces and doors can be used to promote natural cross-ventilation. Also, to protect privacy, the design of air-flow jump channels can be used. By shading the windows in line with the direction of the prevailing wind, natural ventilation can reduce or even eliminate the need for cooling facilities

Recently, new combinations of passive solar systems are introduced to enhance their performance. Trombe wall is one of the popular passive solar systems which has been studied in different forms and in combination with various materials. The aim of the current research is to investigate the Trombe photovoltaic wall in residential buildings in Mashhad. The study was carried out using energy simulation by Energy Plus software. The vents of the Trombe wall are open from eight in the morning to four in the afternoon and closed for the rest of the day. Brick and concrete Trombe walls with photovoltaic coating panels are studied in three different positions, with varying air gaps, and different vents over the whole of a year. The variables are simulated in an integrated way. First, two rooms with 20-centimeter-thick brick and concrete Trombe walls were considered. Then, the dimensions of the vents (18% of the Trombe wall surface and 3/20 of the Trombe wall height), air gap (0.1 meters) and with different photovoltaic coverages (two and four square meters) were attached on the mass wall. In the next stage, by keeping the size of the vents fixed (18% of the surface of the Trombe wall) and changing the air gap (0.05 meters) the simulation was performed. Subsequently, the performance of photovoltaic panels on the glass and in the air gap were simulated. The dimensions of the room have been selected according to the dimensions of a living room in a typical residential building in Mashhad. The results show that for a room with a volume of 120 cubic meters with brick and concrete Trombe wall and 18% vent area, an air gap of 0.05 meters, and a coverage area of four square meters of photovoltaic panels, the received heat, electricity production, and thermal comfort significantly increase. The amount of received heat and electricity production are 257652.3, 307963.6, and 1975482 kilojoules, respectively. In October, thermal comfort was rated as cold. The heat received by the concrete Trombe wall is more than that of the brick one. As the coverage of the photovoltaic panels on the Trombe wall increased, the received heat and the temperature of the room decreased. Conversely, the greater the surface of the vents, the more heat is received in the room and the temperature of the room increases. The temperature of the inner surface of the photovoltaic panels and the heat received due to internal convection increases from bottom to the top of the Trombe wall. Photovoltaic panels on the massive wall perform better than those on the glass or in the air gap in terms of received heat, thermal comfort and electricity production. Therefore, it is suggested that photovoltaic panels be positioned on the massive wall, outer glass, and blind slats, respectively during the cold period of the year, while it would be the opposite for the hot period of the year.

Today, the rapid growth of urbanization and the increasing trend of greenhouse gas emissions, which continue to increase despite international efforts, have aggravated the climate change issue. Reaching an approach that balances the natural and built environment is one of the most essential human objectives in forming a favorable environment. To achieve such a goal, planning and designing cities in line with the principles of climate design is the primary and most crucial concern in this field of activity. The proposed criteria will encourage the process of becoming more energy resilient by planning a holistic approach to various and complex aspects of cities and looking at cities as dynamic complex systems in each urban functional area. Urban resilience refers to the ability of an urban system and all the social, environmental, and technical networks that make it up, in time and space scales, to maintain or quickly return to the intended function in the face of disruption, to adapt to rapid change and transformation of systems that limit current or future adaptive capacity. In the field of urban energy, resilience is inevitably linked to the concept of sustainability. However, the new towns planned in Iran to respond to the problems of the greater mother city at the level of metropolitan areas have not sufficiently considered the climatic conditions and local characteristics in the design. Therefore, according to the necessity of strategies to reduce energy consumption in the increasing trend of climate change, this research aims to investigate and analyze urban physical form design principles with an energy-based resilience approach to improve Thermal Comfort in Sadra New Town on the northwestern edge of Shiraz, the capital of Fars province. For this purpose, library studies and quantitative measurement using ENVI-met sub-climatic analysis software have followed the descriptive-analytical research method. In the first step, energy resilience criteria based on global energy resilience rating systems and theoretical research conducted, including smart location, resources and energy, transportation and use, neighborhood form and development pattern, and placemaking, were identified as five layers. Then, after designing the main structure of a sample neighborhood in Sadra according to the explained criteria for the physical form and energy-based resilient design and the physical and climatic analysis of the site, a series of selected points were simulated in Envimet software for which the thermal comfort index or the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) was extracted in the hottest month of the year. The evaluation result showed that no part of the neighborhood is in the optimal temperature range. In other words, the area needs help in terms of the thermal comfort of pedestrians in the summer season during the hot hours of the day. Finally, design guidelines and regulations were presented on a smaller scale by measuring the plan’s deviation from thermal comfort standards compared to the physical design, sky visibility factor, and other climatic indicators. The outcome of this research is to re-composing physical form with an energy-based resilience approach in an urban neighborhood, presenting strategies and policies that are extensible to new developments.

The integration of architectural and urban spaces with local climate conditions is crucial for ensuring building sustainability and achieving key objectives in sustainable development. Climate designers and architects have long emphasized the study of environmental data to understand diverse climate behaviors. Climate-friendly architecture aims to harmonize building designs with their natural surroundings. This study focuses on Qaleh Bala Biarjamand village, located in Shahroud city, Semnan province. The central inquiry revolves around identifying climate-responsive architectural solutions using thermal comfort indicators specific to this village. Employing a descriptive-analytical method with a quantitative approach, the study draws insights from field studies spanning 18 years and reputable meteorological sources. The research identifies a framework based on principles outlined by Olgi, Evans, Mahoney, and Givoni, emphasizing the use of natural energy resources. Findings underscore strategies tailored to the village's cold and dry climate, such as adopting compact, densely textured designs, reducing surface-area-to-volume ratios, and employing heavy materials with high heat capacity in southern walls. Additionally, minimizing window sizes emerges as a viable strategy to enhance climate-friendly architecture in this context.

Iranian architecture has historically confronted various climatic challenges in desert regions, often leading to innovative solutions. One such challenge is the increase in temperature coupled with decreased relative humidity, particularly during the hottest days of the year. A sustainable climatic solution for achieving thermal comfort and mitigating harsh weather conditions in this region involves the integration of central courtyards and basements. However, the lack of moisture in the air renders the mere construction of these spaces insufficient for thermal comfort. To address this, pond spaces were incorporated into the yard and, in some cases, into the cellar or basement to help lower temperature and increase relative humidity.

This study employs descriptive and analytical methods alongside library and internet research. Additionally, simulation techniques were utilized to explore the impact of the pond factor within the two spaces of the cellar and yard.

The findings indicate that introducing a moisture source (pond) results in an average temperature reduction of up to 3.5 degrees Celsius in the yard and up to 2.5 degrees Celsius in the basement compared to scenarios without a pond on the hottest day of the year. Furthermore, the presence of a pond in the yard does not lead to significant changes in the temperature and humidity levels of the basement, even with air circulation.

While the pond is essential for reducing the temperature of the yard itself and cannot be omitted from the design of desert homes, its role in enhancing thermal comfort within the cellar is particularly notable during peak heat hours. In the pond scenario, the temperature difference compared to the outside reaches approximately 9 degrees Celsius, whereas the scenario without the pond yields a difference of about 5 degrees. This underscores the undeniable importance of the water pond and the associated humidity in achieving thermal comfort.

Cooling systems in hot and arid climate buildings play a significant role in climate change due to their high water and energy consumption. Although evaporative coolers are effective at cooling the space, they are often uncontrollable and ineffective during periods of low cooling demand, which can result in overcooling of the indoor space. Previous studies have paid less attention to reducing water consumption in evaporative cooling systems. Therefore, a study has been conducted to propose a hybrid cooling system for reducing water consumption in evaporative cooling of buildings in hot and arid climates. This study aims to add new features to the existing cooling system in hot and arid climates, transforming it into a more suitable cooling system that can significantly reduce water and energy consumption while improving indoor thermal conditions.

This study was conducted on a sample residential building in the hot and arid climate of Yazd City for five days (24 hours per day in August and September). The building had a 3D panel structure, which acted as an insulator. A field study was conducted during the summer season in two similar rooms. Environmental indicators, such as temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, and water consumption by the evaporative cooler, were measured using relevant devices. The experiment consisted of two stages: evaluating the initial state of the rooms and assessing the performance of the evaporative cooler and hybrid system compared to one-sided natural ventilation.

When the rooms were examined for uniformity, among the three tested states, one-sided natural ventilation and evaporative cooling based on natural ventilation had little effect on reducing the space temperature, and only the evaporative cooler had an effective role in reducing the room's temperature. By using the evaporative cooler for 24 hours, on average, the temperature reduction was 8°C compared to the one-sided natural ventilation, and the relative humidity increased by 23%. The measurements indicated that during a 24-hour period, the evaporative cooler consumed 290 liters of water and 10kWh of electricity.

The performance of evaporative cooling systems was compared to one-sided natural ventilation as the base case. The proposed hybrid system achieved an average temperature reduction of 5.5 °C and an increase in relative humidity of 16-18 % compared to the one-sided natural ventilation. While the hybrid system had lower temperature fluctuations compared to the evaporative cooler, on average, the temperature decreased more and the relative humidity increased more with the use of the evaporative cooler. By examining the effect of this issue on the room, the evaporative cooler's performance was excessive most of the time, making it unsuitable for providing thermal comfort. In contrast, the hybrid system provided better thermal comfort than the evaporative cooler in most hours, even with an outdoor environment temperature ranging from 32°C to 30°C. Using the hybrid system instead of the evaporative cooler can reduce electricity consumption by 74% and water consumption by 96%. In other words, it reduced water consumption to 10 liters/day and electricity consumption to 2.6 kWh. Importantly, this system is designed with auxiliary fans and components related to the evaporative cooler, and it can be easily implemented as a simple and low-cost solution with high performance and a low payback period without creating limitations in the design. Therefore, it will be a suitable replacement for current mechanical evaporative cooling systems for the afternoon, evening, and early morning hours (between 18:00 to 08:00) in warm summer and spring months.

The expansion of urban societies caused significant changes in the living environment of humans. These changes caused many problems, including the increase in thermal tensions and lack of thermal comfort in the cities. Among these changes is the presence of artificial surfaces in urban spaces, which have replaced natural surfaces and include a high percentage of the surface of cities. The difference in the characteristics of the artificial surfaces has made their impact on the thermal comfort conditions of the environment different compared to the natural surfaces. In this research, sidewalks, which include a large part of artificial surfaces in cities, are the subject of study, and the effects of changes in their characteristics on thermal comfort in open spaces are evaluated. Field measurements and numerical simulation methods were used in this study. Field measurements were carried out by a data logger on the campus of Imam Khomeini University of Qazvin. Also, numerical simulations were performed for the hottest day of the year (July 25, 1401) by modeling the site using Envimet software. The results of the data obtained from the simulations were validated with the measured data. Then two characteristics of pavement materials, albedo (reflection coefficient) and material thickness, were investigated in different amounts of simulation and the results obtained from their impact on the thermal comfort of the environment were evaluated by two indices of Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). According to the results, albedo has a greater effect on thermal indices, and reducing its value from 0.8 to 0.2 to a maximum of 3 and an average of 0.4 degrees Celsius will cause a decrease in the thermal comfort index of PET. The thickness of the pavement materials was also evaluated, and the related results indicate the very small and partial effect of changes in this characteristic on the thermal comfort of the environment.

The level of thermal comfort in urban open spaces plays an important role in pedestrian health. Residential environments and open spaces of housing units require more comfortable temperatures. Courtyards as microclimate modifiers and common open spaces between urban and architectural scales can be a good passive strategy to increase thermal comfort and reduce energy demand of buildings. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify their temperature balancing effect in the prevailing summer and winter climates. Different urban forms provide different microclimates with different levels of comfort for pedestrians. The effects of urban microclimates on urban air quality and building energy use make them significant at a larger scale. Urban forms, shaped by the typology of buildings and the open space between them, have different impacts at different seasons. They meet the demand for compactness in summer to provide shelter from the sun and openness in winter to provide access to the sun. Therefore, to design a form that provides the best thermal conditions throughout the year, through the design of openings in the open space openings - height and width and position of the opening. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the design of courtyards for microclimatic improvement of outdoor spaces. However, there is still little knowledge about the thermal performance characteristics of courtyards, especially in cold and semi-arid climates.In this study, we measure the effects of different forms of courtyards on thermal comfort and climatic forces, including wind and radiation, using ENVI-met software by selecting a neighborhood unit in Sabzevar city. To this end, we have kept all design factors constant, including the height of adjacent blocks, vegetation, and materials, except for the openings of the adjacent courtyard. We studied the forms of the interrupted central courtyard, the closed central courtyard, and the U-shaped courtyard, and compared the thermal comfort of the open space in terms of the UTCI and PET indices. These three forms of the inner courtyard were analyzed for the hottest and coldest day so far in the cold and semi-arid climate of Sabzevar. ENVI-met was used to simulate outdoor air temperature, mean radiant temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity, and to convert these data to Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) and universal thermal climate index (UTCI).The results show that the air temperature, mean radiant temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity are affected by the shape of the courtyard and the openings and play an important role in achieving optimal thermal comfort. The results show that the enclosed courtyard provides better protection from wind and radiation in this cold and semi-arid climate and is more successful from the point of view of thermal comfort. The results show that the enclosed courtyards provide better protection from wind and radiation in this cold and semi-arid climate and is closer to the thermal comfort range than the U-shaped courtyards from the thermal comfort point of view, with 4.88 and 7.73 degrees in the summer solstice and 4.01 and 1.28 degrees in the winter solstice in the UTCI and PET indices, respectively.

Achieving spaces with high quality and efficiency to ensure the security and comfort of the human body and mind is one of the most important goals of sustainable architecture. The history of climate design in our country dates back to several thousand years ago. By studying the indigenous buildings in each climate, it is clear that they are designed entirely on the basis of climatic principles and in order to make maximum use of natural energy and deal with annoying cold and heat. The use of mechanical systems in today's architecture, along with providing comfort, has created negative environmental and economic consequences. While looking at the experiences of predecessors in indigenous architecture, the approach of improving the quality of architecture can be seen in creating spaces with the principles of climate design. One of the climatic design strategies for achieving thermal comfort in summer has been the creation of pond spaces in traditional houses with cold climates. In this research, the space of the pool house “howz-khâne” and the role of water in it and it's relation on the thermal comfort of the residents of the pool house, a case study of the pool house of Qadaki house in Tabriz, has been studied Then, based on the maps and the existing situation, the case is modeled. The presence of details in the geometry makes the process of simulation and achieving results difficult, so simplifications and the integrity of the model have been considered. Therefore, in order to accurately estimate the results in this study, the Energy Plus simulation engine was used. The energy model was first created in the Grasshopper user interface, which is a graphical and parametric programming environment in Rhino software. In the modeling process, a simplified volumetric model of the summer residence of Qadaki House was generated using Rhino software's own tools and then converted into an energy model using the Ladybug plugin in the Grasshopper environment. The simulated thermal comfort was determined using temperature and relative humidity during the day, PMV comfort patterns, temperature sensation, PPD dissatisfaction percentage and biological thermal adaptation of individuals in summer for the zoning. Different zonings have been done in two modes of presence and absence of water in the pool house. The results of the simulations indicate that the presence of water has a significant effect on reducing the temperature and increasing the relative humidity, satisfaction and biological adaptation of the inhabitants.

Comfort is one of the key factors in the desirability and psychological compatibility of architecture. Also, skin refitting processes can guide refitting processes and redefine it. At present, the idea of dynamic proportionality is widely used in architecture, such as adaptation and response, although these concepts seem to be similar to natural patterns, but their similarity to the existing processes of nature remains debatable. In this article, through the descriptive research method, the basics and definitions related to the subject are given, and in the next step, due to the lack of similar experience in studies and researches in the country, by using the comparative research method, all existing and available global experiences are collected. They are collected and categorized, and then some of the best experiences mentioned are explained and finally, the original conclusion of the research is presented. The research results have shown that in adaptive fitment, the possible scenarios for fitment ability define the fitting criteria of a building and the designer develops a specific strategy (change/transition/change/adaptation) to optimize these criteria. According to the findings of this research, the possible and future-oriented scenarios regarding the building envelope can be grouped into two categories: changing needs and patterns, the 6 main factors of psychological adaptation and thermal comfort in architecture in the adaptation of the skin and building shells related to the patterns are: 1) the naturalness of the space, 2) expectations, 3) experience, 4) duration of presence, 5) perceptual control, 6) environmental stimulation, 7) culture, 8) visual and aesthetic factors, 9) native and non-native factors. Being and 10) the time factor are the changes that are expanded in various conditions of thermal comfort.

In this study, we examined the effect of natural ventilation on internal climate conditions with regard to the hygrothermal performance of the building envelopes during critical thermal conditions in Golestan province’s mountainous areas. Such research has not been conducted in the mountainous areas of Golestan, particularly in recently constructed buildings and this research demonstrates the ineffectiveness of new buildings providing acceptable thermal conditions for its residents. The thermal comfort conditions of the residents were evaluated using a questionnaire to assess the comfort zone and the sources of their discomfort throughout the warm months of the year. According to the questionnaire findings, one of the reasons for the residents' concern and discomfort was the high humidity of the space, which ranged between 58.8% and 65%. Then, utilizing environmental data collected at the research location, we simulated the hygrothermal performance of the building envelopes using WUFI software to evaluate their effect on indoor climate conditions when natural ventilation was used. The hypothesis of this study is that natural ventilation is incapable of improving the climate conditions inside the building during critical situations. According to the findings, the present building's envelopes have little effect on reducing the relative humidity of the area, and even when natural ventilation is used, the relative humidity fluctuates based on the conditions in the exterior space, and comfort conditions are still not provided. It should be highlighted that the simulation findings reveal that using natural ventilation in critical thermal circumstances raises the temperature of the indoor air. Finally, the study's findings demonstrate that present construction methods and the lack of usage of vernacular architectural features, cause a lack of thermal comfort in the interior of the building during occurance of critical thermal conditions, even when natural ventilation is used.

In today's era, the environmental crisis and energy shortage have become a big challenge for architects, investors and users of the building industry. One of the architectural design requirements in the process of achieving the optimal building in terms of energy consumption is the amount of receiving and maintaining (not receiving) the temperature from the sun's radiation in order to create thermal comfort for residents and users. mechanical engineers have joined the help of architects and have shared their views about life in space. Basically, the architecture of the space is a generalization of the architecture of the earth, and since about 40% of the energy consumption is in the building sector, the use of active and passive heating (and cooling) ways helps significantly to reduce energy consumption, in this research, while identifying the effective components in the physical and environmental structure of the design of a sustainable habitat on Mars, by creating a configuration inspired by dome building and suitable for the special climatic conditions of Mars, the factor of providing thermal comfort to the inhabitants of the habitat with the optimal combination of layers of glass and Let's examine the Martian concrete material. In this study, the research method "simulation and modeling" is used, and the materials and method to achieve this goal is the use of computer simulation. by increasing the level of Martian concrete and decreasing the level of glass, the incoming radiation has less opportunity to exit the domain and the energy loss has decreased.

To achieve sustainable construction in residential building industry and to reduce energy consumption and create comfort conditions for residents under various climates, it is required to examine the exterior shell of buildings serving as the main interface between the interior and exterior or spaces. This research thus aims to examine the thermal behavior of bearing or non-bearing walls used in the city of Dezful, which are made of perforated brick, clay block, Hebelex block (AAC) and Lica block, and to study the thermal insulations of ETICS and XPS in order to identify comfort conditions inside the space using the ASHRAE 7-point scale. The present research seeks to explore how the thermal behavior of materials incorporated into exterior walls influences heat transfer to interior spaces and the thermal confrontation of residential building dwellers in Dezful. The present research adopts a quantitative comparative approach and bases its analysis on secondary and field research, simulating 12 types of walls in the hot and semi- arid climate of Dexful using Design Builder software.Results suggested that simulation outputs in the dynamic mode did not resonate with sustainable conditions in the studied climate. The method adopted to calculate stable conditions indicated that the wall with the lowest thermal conductivity coefficient would behave the most optimal behavior. Contrastingly, the wall with the highest thermal capacity would be the most effective in achieving thermal comfort for dwellers under unstable conditions.Results of evaluations and analyses revealed that data on the thermal transfer of exterior walls varied under stable and unstable conditions, and calculations made under stable condition assumptions needed to be replaced by unstable conditions. The following results were obtained based on the comfort conditions of the 12 studied walls demonstrated in the PMV diagram and considering the dominant need for cooling in the studied climate: 1. XPS and ETICS heat-insulated walls did not perform well. 2. Walls made with clay blocks, perforated bricks, and Hebelex and Leca blocks without heat insulation performed better, among which Leca blocks with no heat insulation indicated the best thermal behavior in terms of energy consumption and thermal comfort.

Thermal comfort has always been one of the primary goals of architectural design. Many studies have addressed indoor thermal comfort. However, less attention has been paid to outdoor thermal comfort. Outdoor spaces need to be equally emphasized because of the occurrence of daily activities in them. Open spaces play a unique role in the spatial structure of traditional Iranian architecture. Mosques are among the most important buildings in the history of Iranian architecture. With the spread of Islam in the early centuries of Hijri, many mosques were constructed in the great province of Khorasan, some of which are still standing. Most of these mosques have open spaces that are built based on the climate; therefore, they are among the best sources of modeling for contemporary architecture to achieve thermal comfort. Thus, the research questions of the present study can be expressed as follows: What is the range of thermal comfort in the open spaces of Khorasan mosques based on the PMV index? What are the optimal geometry patterns of mosque courtyards in the Khorasan region to achieve thermal comfort? In order to answer the questions, ENVI-MET4 simulation software was used.

The approach of the current study in terms of its purposes and methodology is applied research and quantitative respectively. In the first stage of the study, the form, dimensions, and proportions of the yard and the percentage of open to closed spaces of the traditional mosques of Khorasan province were analyzed through an analytical method, based on library studies. The courtyards of the traditional mosques were categorized, the patterns governing them were extracted, and thermal comfort was evaluated. Four sample cities were selected based on four different climatic zones. In the second stage, using the simulation method, the models were made on July 23rd during the summer solstice for the four cities in the ENVI-MENT 4 software. The simulation results were illustrated and analyzed in the Leonardo software, and the PMV thermal comfort index was used.

Three types of mosque courtyards in the mentioned cities were analyzed. Based on the PMV index and the comparison of plan structures, the results revealed that in Qochan City, the plan with a square geometry is close to the thermal comfort range. In Mashhad, a rectangular courtyard with an extension in the direction of the Qibla is the best option to achieve thermal comfort in open spaces. Moreover, in the city of Sabzevar, the rectangular plan perpendicular to the Qibla direction, and in the city of Tabas, the rectangular plan parallel to the Qibla direction were identified as the best models of thermal comfort.

The proportions and forms of the courtyards are square in the high foothills; rectangular in line with the Qibla in the low foothills; rectangular in the direction of the Qibla in the plains, and rectangular in the direction of the Qibla in the desert climate. Considering the joy of outdoor worship, it is necessary to design the courtyard in such a way that it can provide comfortable conditions as a subclimate, particularly during hot summer days.

The rapid growth of urbanisation in contemporary era has increased the human need for open space. One of the most important principles of open space design is to pay attention to thermal comfort in order to improve the quality of space and satisfy users. Numerous factors affect the thermal comfort quality of open spaces including shading; one of the most important ones. This study investigates the effect of shade on students' thermal comfort at Shahrood University of Technology in Iran during the hot season. For this purpose, field studies were conducted including the measurement of major climatic parameters, as well as the evaluation of the thermal perception of students by using thermal comfort questionnaires at four types of location in campus (under plants shade, building shade, horizontal shading (canopy), and sunlight) simultaneously. The Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) is used here as a thermal comfort index. The neutral PET value of 21.9 °C and the maximum value in the PET comfort range of 26.9 °C are obtained for this study. The results show that there is a significant relationship between the location and the thermal comfort. The plants shade creates an acceptable thermal environment with more than 80% user satisfaction. After that, the canopy and the building shade also provide environmental satisfaction for the majority of people, while the most uncomfortable condition is in the sunlight position. Shaded locations decrease the PET value and thermal stress on sunny days and increase comfort levels as well as comfort hours during the day. Therefore, it can be concluded that creating shade and blocking direct solar radiation using vegetation or building elements can significantly improve outdoor thermal comfort during the hot season.