Solutions for reviving the wind catchers of Aqda village

Aqda is one of the desert villages of Iran which is located in the hot and dry area with a distance of 26 kilometers far from Ardakan Yazd. Since ancient times, the architects of this village have benefited different methods to be compatible with the unfavorable conditions. One of these innovations which is the indication of Aqda village is its one-sided wind catchers. One-sided Wind catchers are considered as one of the engineering masterpieces of Iran which provide suitable ventilation for the building despite heavy dust storms. But by passing time, the capabilities of wind catcher have been gradually forgotten and it is regarded only as a decorative element. One-sided Wind catchers in Aqda are regarded as the main indication of the village and have the role of giving identification to it while being compatible with the hard conditions of the region. Although by passing time, the lifestyles have been changed and in the cities like Yazd, the people have gradually migrated from the traditional texture to the new city, but Aqda΄s traditional texture still exists and the people are living there with different lifestyles compared with the past and benefit from modern ways to have more convenient life. Wind catcher which is the inseparable element of traditional houses of Aqda has gradually lost its functionality and is regarded only as a symbol. Evaporative coolers for their easy usage and inexpensive cost have been substituted with the natural cooling by wind catchers. This article tries to investigate the wind catchers of Aqda from view point of their physical body and functionalities and introduce their unique structure to help their revival. The article focuses on four sectors subject to review: introducing the architectural features in Aqda, introduction of wind catchers, review and compare the physical body and function of one-sided wind catchers in Aqda with four-sided ones in Yazd and the solution of reviving them. Having introduced the structure, function and regional features, some proposals will be presented for improving the function of one-sided wind catchers in order to revive them. To prove the presented proposals, some samples of revived wind catchers have been introduced which have been made in use again based on proposals and are practically a proof of their functionality again. The research is based on field studies, using existing evidences and library sources. This article seeks to answer the following questions: -Do the wind catchers in Aqda supply cooling needs of the inhabitant? - How can one-sided wind catcher be revived? -How can the potential environment and local materials be used to improve one-sided wind catchers?