Comparison of strategies to prevent the energy loss of apodyteriums in traditional Bathhousehouses in Kerman

Bathhouse (public Bath)  as one of the well-known models of traditional Iranian buildings is important in the architectural literature, which is due to the heat exchange feature and energy storage in the body of this type of building. From this point of view, the fact that the whole design and pattern of these public baths are similar to each other needs to be investigated. In fact, traditional baths are not only an example of historical value but also this building has a special and valuable function in terms of energy storage and prevention of heat exchange. This study focuses on their thermal behavior because the main parts of the traditional baths are two dry and wet spaces in the spatial-functional hierarchy of this building, namely the tepidarium (garmkhaneh) and the apodyterium (sarbineh). In this study, the thermal crust of hot and dry climates in Iran will be investigated due to the limitations of the research only in terms of surfaces and geometric area, which is one of the three main components in heat exchange through the crust. This study tries to identify the body of these spaces in terms of measures to reduce the area to volume ratio by examining the walling of the tepidarium (garmkhaneh) and the apodyterium (sarbineh) as spaces sensitive to heat exchange through the envelope in traditional baths. This research has a quantitative post-positivist paradigm and a combined strategy of modeling and mathematical reasoning that for the meaningfulness of the responses, the relationship between heat loss through the envelope, and the effectiveness of reducing the power of the heating system based on the quantity of the area is understood by simulating traditional bathroom spaces and adapting design solutions. What is induced based on the study of proportions and comparison of surfaces and volumes of selected samples, is that the general design of apodyterium and tepidarium spaces, by increasing the floor area of walls and walls connected to spaces with lower temperature difference and also reducing the area to volume ratio in Outdoor-related building-envelopes has led to a reduction in temperature losses through the envelope.