Persian Wind Towers: Architecture, Cooling Performance and Seismic Behaviour

Persian Wind Towers: Architecture, Cooling Performance and Seismic Behaviour

B. Hejazi M. Hejazi

Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan (Isfahan) Branch, Department of Architecture, Isfahan, Iran

University of Isfahan, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Isfahan, Iran

Page: 
56-70
|
DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.2495/DNE-V9-N1-56-70
Received: 
N/A
| |
Accepted: 
N/A
| | Citation

OPEN ACCESS

Abstract: 

Persian wind towers, badgirs, are passive building cooling systems that use nature to provide comfort to people in hot-dry regions. They catch fresh air and channel it down to cool the internal spaces. Sometimes they perform as ventilators and conduct the pleasant air from the courtyard on the ground floor up to the top of the wind tower. In this paper, construction technology, typology based on location and number of intakes, cooling performance, and seismic behaviour of badgirs are described. Wind towers in Kashan, Central Iran, are studied for their cooling functioning and structural behaviour against earthquakes. Four different heights for the wind towers are considered. The effects of wind tower height, wind orientation and wind velocity on mass flow and temperature in wind towers are presented.

Keywords: 

badgir, cooling performance, earthquake, mass flow, passive system, Persian wind towers, temperature, typology

  References

[1] Yarshater, E., Encyclopedia Iranica, Vol. 2, Routledge & Kogan Paul Press: New York, 1989.

[2] Masouda, S., Excavations at Tape Sang-e-Cagmag. Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Archeological Research in Iran, Tehran, 1974.

[3] Hejazi, M., Historical Buildings of Iran: their Architecture and Structures, Computational Mechanics Publications (WIT Press): Southampton & Boston, 1997.

[4] Hejazi, M. & Mehdizadeh Saradj, F., Persian Architectural Heritage: Form, Structure and Conservation, WIT Press: Southampton & Boston, 2013.

[5] Hejazi, M. & Mehdizadeh Saradj, F., Persian Architectural Heritage: Architecture, WIT Press: Southampton & Boston, 2013.

[6] Hejazi, M. & Mehdizadeh Saradj, F., Persian Architectural Heritage: Structure, WIT Press: Southampton & Boston, 2013.

[7] Hejazi, M. & Mehdizadeh Saradj, F., Persian Architectural Heritage: Conservation, WIT Press: Southampton & Boston, 2013.

[8] Roaf, S., The Wind Catcher of Yazd, PhD Thesis, Oxford Polytechnic: Oxford, 1988.

[9] Memari,Gh., Study and Comparison of Two New Designs of Wind Towers (in Farsi), BSc  Thesis, Sharif University of Technology: Tehran, 1991.

[10] Mahyari, A., The Wind Catcher, PhD Thesis, University of Sydney: Sydney, 1996.

[11] Ghiabaklou, Z., A Passive Evaporative Cooling System for Residential Buildings, PhD Thesis, New South Wales University: Kensington, 1996.

[12] Dehqani, A.R., Experimental Study of Performance of Two New Designs of Wind Towers and Comparison with Conventional Ones (in Farsi), BSc Thesis, University of Yazd: Yazd, 2001.

[13] Mousavidavar, S.S., Experimental and Analytical Study of Performance of Wind Towers and Feasibility in Cooling Systems of Buildings (in Farsi), BSc Thesis, University of Guilan: Rasht, 2002.

[14] Arjanan Mirjani, M., Wind Towers of Yazd (in Farsi), MA Thesis, University of Tehran: Tehran, 2004.

[15] Mahmoudi, M., Study of Effect of Wind Tower Properties on Thermal Behaviour (in Faris), PhD Thesis, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University: Tehran, 2006.

[16] Bahadori, M.N. & Yaghoubi, M., Natural Air Conditioning and Cooling in Persian Traditional Buildings (in Farsi), Markaz Nashr Daneshgahi: Tehran, 2006.

[17] Bahadori, M.N., Passive cooling systems in Iranian architecture. Scientifi c American, 238, pp. 144–154, 1978. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/scientifi camerican0278-144

[18] Bahadori, M.N., Viability of wind towers in achieving summer comfort in the hot arid regions of the Middle East. Renewable Energy, 5(2), pp. 879–892, 1994. doi: http://dx.doi.

org/10.1016/0960-1481(94)90108-2

[19] Bahadori, M.N., An improved design of wind towers for natural ventilation and passive cooling. 

Solar Energy, 35(2), pp. 119–129, 1985. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0038-092X(85)90002-7

[20] Yaghoubi, M.A., Sabzevari, A. & Golneshan, A.A., Wind towers: measurement and performance. Solar Energy, 47(2), pp. 97–106, 1991. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0038092X(91)90040-4

[21] Badran Ali, A., Performance of cool towers under various climated in Jordan. Energy and Buildings, 35, pp. 1031–1035, 2003. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(03)00067-7

[22] Nouanegue, H.F., Alandji, L.R. & Bilgen, E., Numerical study of solar-wind tower systems for ventilation of dwellings. Renewable Energy, 33(3), pp. 434–443, 2008. doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.renene.2007.03.001

[23] Bahadori, M.N., Mazidi, M. & Dehghani, A.R., Experimental investigation of new designs of wind towers. Renewable Energy, 33, pp. 2273–2281, 2008. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. renene.2007.12.018

[24] Kalantar, V., Numerical simulation of cooling performance of wind tower (Baud-Geer) in hot and arid region. Renewable Energy, 34, pp. 246–254, 2009. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. renene.2008.03.007

[25] Mahmoudi, M.& Mofi di, M., Effect of the climate on wind towers of Yazd and Bandar-i-Lengeh. Proceedings of the 3rd Conference on Optimisation of Fuel Conception, Vol. 1, Tehran, pp. 239–251, 2003.

[26] Mahmoudi, M., Wind tower: elegancy of Yaz (in Farsi). Bagh-i-Nazar, 5, pp. 91–99, 2005.

[27] Ghaemmaghami, P.S. & Mahmoudi, M., Wind tower as a natural cooling system in Iranian architecture. Proceedings of International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Cooling for the Built Environment, Santorini, pp. 71–76, 2005.

[28] Azami, A., Badgir in traditional Iranian architecture. Proc. of Int. Conf. On Passive and Low Energy Cooling for the Built Environment, Santorini, pp. 1021–1026, 2005.

[29] Dehnavi, M., Hossein Ghadiri, M., Mohammadi, H. & Hossein Ghadiri, M., Study of wind catchers with square plan: infl uence of physical parameters. Modern Engineering Research, 2(1), pp. 559–564, 2012.

[30] Hejazi, M. & Hejazi, B., Cooling performance of Persian wind towers. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Harmonisation between Architecture and Nature (EchoArchitecture 2012), Greece, pp. 197–207, 2012.

[31] Zomarshidi, H., Iranian Architecture: Building with Traditional Materials (in Farsi), Khajeh Press: Tehran, 1995.

[32] Bahadori, M.N.& Chamberlain, M.J., Simplifi cation of weather data to evaluate daily and monthly energy needs of residential buildings. Solar Energy, 36(6), pp. 499–507, 1986. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0038-092X(86)90014-9

[33] Duffi e, J.A. & Beckman, W.A., Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, Wiley, New York, 1991.

[34] Binda, L., Fontana, A. & Frigerio, G., Mechanical behaviour of brick masonries derived from unit and mortar characteristics. Proceedings of the 8th International Brick and Block Masonry Conference, ed. J.W. de Courcy, Elsevier Applied Science: London, pp. 205–216, 1988.

[35] Korany, Y., Mechanics and modelling of URM structures. Proceedings of International Course on Architectural and Structural Design of Masonry, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, pp. Kor-1–28, 2003.

[36] Iranian Code of Practice for Seismic Resistant Design of Buildings, Standard No. 2800-05 (in Farsi), 3rd edn., Building and Housing Research Centre: Tehran, 2005.