Climatic Design, Zoning, and Guidelines for

Moderate Climates (Gilan and Mazandaran Provences)

Morteza Kasmaei
Building and Housing Research Center
Affiliated to the Ministry of Housing and Urban development
BHRC Publication No. R-521, Tehran, 2010
Summery
Creating healthy and comfortable spaces is one of the main objects in Sustainable
Design. In present research, the climatic data of meteorological stations of Gilan and
Mazandaran provinces and their adjacent areas has been used to study the effects of
climatic condition of main populated areas of these provinces on architectural design of
residential buildings. Based on the results of this study, guidelines for architectural
design of residential buildings and built environments in the populated cities of the two
provinces have been proposed. These guidelines, which can be used in all moderate
climates of Iran, provide recommendations on the site selection, orientation, and layout
of buildings, the size, and position of openings, and shading devices, and building
materials for walls and roofs.
Climate:
The
Given
Conditions
Moderate temperature, high humidity, and heavy rainfall are the main climatic features
of almost all of the meteorological stations of these two provinces.
Traditional
architecture
Traditional architecture in Gilan and Mazandaran is the outcome of centuries of
optimization of material use, construction techniques, and climate consideration. The
main features of this architecture are summarized in the following paragraphs.

- Buildings are built on a platform that is 50 to 100 cm above ground.

Unconditioned space below the building is naturally ventilated by providing
opening
in
different
walls
of
the
platform.
- Windows are large, completely open able and are built from wood and glass.
- Sun shades are the most common and important element of the building and
effectively provide desired shade. In some cases, they shade the whole
windows
and
exterior
walls
and
protect
them
from
rain.
- Roofs are steeply sloped and usually projected from one two or all sides of
floor
plan
to
protect
exterior
walls
from
rain.
- Balconies, which are the semi outdoor spaces, are a significant part of
buildings.
- The main orientation of the residential buildings is north south and the main
yard
is
located
in
south
side
of
the
buildings.
- Plan of small buildings is liner or L shape, but larger buildings have
combination of those plans and U shape plans too.
Design Guidelines
For design of outdoor spaces, three main goals have been outlined:
1- Reduce chilling effects of winter winds
2- Provide shade and air flow in hot periods
3- Provide sunny exterior spaces in cold periods
Based on Mohaney Tables, for all parts of this climate, building layout should be
elongated in east-west axis. However, regarding other aspects of design, two different
groups have been recognized

Group 1, (almost all cities of Gilan and Mazandaran)

1- Orientation north and south, long axis east-west
2- Open space for breeze penetration, but protection from cold winds
3- Single banked rooms for permanent air movement
4- Medium openings, 25 40 % of related elevation
5- Windows in north and south walls at body height on windward side
6- Light walls with low thermal capacity
8- Light roofs, reflecting surface, and cavity
Group 2, areas far from the Caspian Sea with high altitude
1- Orientation north and south, long axis east-west
2- Compact courtyard planning
3- No air movement required
4- Small openings, 15 25 % of related elevation
5- Windows in north and south walls at body height on in windward side
6- Heavy external walls, over 8 Hours time lag
8- Heavy roofs, over 8 Hours time lag
The following design goals are formulated based on climate analyses of the Gilan and
Mazandaran provinces.
1Reduction
of
building
heat
loss
during
cold
period
2Permanent
provision
for
ventilation
3reduction
of
indoor
air
humedity
4Use
of
solar
radiation
for
heating
5Protection
of
indoor
spaces
from
sun
penetration
in
hot
period
6Reduction
of
wind
affect
in
building
heat
loss
7Provision
of
indoor
exposure
to
the
outdoor
climate
8Protection
of
building
from
rain
Based on the above design goals, reduction of building heat loss and wind affect in
building heat loss during cold period are the first and second priorities in building design
for all parts of these two provinces. However, in relation to the other design priorities
the
main
cities
of
this
reign
can
be
divided
in
two
groups.
The following design guidelines are formulated based on climate analyses and the study
of traditional architecture of the Gilan and Mazandaran provinces.
Site
selection
The best location for buildings in sloped sites is the mid portion of southerly slopes. In
windy sites, it is recommended that top portion of hills not be selected for building
location. In addition, it is preferred the westerly and easterly slopes are not be selected
for
building
development.
On Greenfield sites, disturbance including earthwork and clearing of vegetation should
be limited to 12 meters beyond the building perimeter, 3 meters beyond surface
walkways, patios, and surface parking and 4.5 meters beyond primary roadway curbs.
Site
Design
Disruption of natural hydrology should be reduced by reduction of imprevious cover and
use of pervious materials in site surfacing, including sidewalks, parking loats and roads
that are not used by heavy vehicles. Storage and use of rain water for irigation should
be consided. In site design the following goals should be considerd.
- Location of buildings and site elements should be determind in relation to the
prevaling
wind
dirction.
- In coold parts of the region, ever green trees shoub be located in windward side of the
biuldings
to
form
wind
breaks.

- Site elements shoud be located in a way that allow use of prevalling breezes in natural
ventilation.
- In locating site elements, ther shoud be nothing left in southern part of building and
within 30 degrees of south elevation.
Site
Pattern
and
Dencity
In this region and all huimed climates of the country, since provision of continuous and
efficient ventilation is necessary, open planning and wide, free spaces between buildings
that help to achive good ventilation is beneficial. In ditermening the necessary
distances
between
buildings,
wind
shadows
have
to
be
considerd.
The most beneficial site layout is when the windward row of buildings cosists of low
detached houses, the midel row consists of mixed height apartments and the leeward
rows consists of long and tall buildings.
Building
Orientation
In selecting suitable building orientation it is important to respect to the sun and wind.
The object is to maximize solar heating in under heated periods, mimimize solar
penetration to the interiors in over heated periods, and to conside the effects ofwind
orientation. In relation to the effects of cold winds in building heat loss, best orientation
is the one that makes smaller incident angle with the direction of cold winds (less than
22.5 degrees). In respect to the winds, and for natural ventilation, the best orientation
is the one that is in effective zone of prevailing winds (grater than 60 degrees). In
relation to the use of suns energy to heat the building, the best orientation in all parts
of this region is south east and the worst orientation is west.
Orientation
of
street
network
To provide adequate airflow in streets, the prevailing wind should be oblique to the
streets, the angle between the wind direction and the street could range about 30 to 60
degrees. To provide adequate airflow in streets and natural ventilation for the adjacent
buildings, the angle could range about 30 to 45 degrees. In respect to the cold winds,
for reduction of building heat loss in under heated periods, the direction of cold winds to
the streets should be greater than 60 degrees. In respect to the suns energy, and to
direct sunrays to the streets in cold periods, the best direction for streets in this region
is 15 degrees west. North south and 30-degree west directions are the second and third
best directions. However, to increase the amount of sunshades in hot periods, the best
direction for streets is north-south axis. 15 degrees east and 15 degrees west are
second and third priority.
Building
Form
In his region, open elongated plans with wide porch and steep roofs are preferred. In
humid regions, the planning should be directed towards optimum ventilation conditions.
In this respect, detached hoses are the best building type. Two story town houses with
open stairwell are the next best building type for the humid regions.
Main Building Spaces
and
Plan
Organization
From climatic design standpoint, three main spaces are necessary in residential
buildings: interior, semi outdoor and outdoor spaces. Balconies are very useful in this
climate for both shading the windows and walls and providing a suitable semi outdoor
space. In cases that for cooling of the building mechanical systems are going to be
used, the best plan organization for the building is the dense and compact form.
Nevertheless, in cases that for cooling of the building in some periods cross ventilation
will be used, the plan of the building should be open and elongated to the east-west
axis. In this case, interior of the building should be open and windows should be large
and operable.
Relation
of
building
to
the
ground
In all parts of this region unless elevated areas and areas for from Caspian Sea,

building should be raised from the ground. Raising the building on the stilts also is
advantageous in humid climates. Firstly, this enables better ventilation by locating the
windows above the zone of maximum wind damping by the surrounding vegetation, and
secondly, it enables cooling of the floor from below. In addition, the building is better
protected from floods.
Size
and
location
of
windows
Based on Mohaneys tables, size of openings, doors, and windows should be about 20 to
40 percent of the area of related elevation, but large openings are advantage in this
climate provided that they are effectively protected from penetration of sun during the
hot
periods,
driven
rain
and
intrusion
of
insects.
The most effective height of the windows from the human comfort aspect, which is
important in this climate, is about 0.5 to 1.5 meters above the floor (the occupied
zone). In bedrooms, it is particularly important to bring the windowsill as close as
possible to the height of the beds, thus ensuring adequate airflow around the
occupants sleeping area. When upper windows have to be used, it is preferable to use
horizontally pivoted windows with upper hinges, which, when open, would direct the
airflow downwards. It is important to select a type of window that is 100% open able.
In many instances, solar protection may be combined with rain protection, not only with
respect to the windows but also for the whole area of the walls, by extending the roof
beyond the floor area.
Building
Materials
Because of the permanent ventilation requirements and the small outdoor diurnal
temperature range, the heat capacity of the building should be as low as possible.
When heavyweight materials must be used, it is possible to minimize the effect of the
heat capacity by covering them with an insulating layer. Refer to section 19 of Iran
National Building Code to select type and thickness of insulation layers for building shell
in desired areas of the region. Based on the recommendations that are given in the
mentioned code, type and thickness of insulation layers for suggested and common
envelope materials in the region are as follows. It is Also recommended that insulation
layer be applied to the inside surface of the outer portion of wall.
- Solid Concrete Block wall with cement mortar facing: 7 cm expanded Polystyrene
- Composite wall with a layer of brick and a layer of concrete block: 6 cm expanded
Polystyrene
- Composite cavity wall with a layer of brick, air space, and a layer of concrete block: 5
cm
expanded
Polystyrene
- Sloped roof with asbestos cement: 8.5 cm expanded and extorted Polystyrene or 14
cm
Polystyrene
- Floor on unconditioned space: 4 cm polymer insulation layer
Climatic
Zoning
of
Gilan
and
Mazandaran
Provinces
In relation to the main climatic design goals, all cities of Gilan and Mazandaran
provinces are grouped in two zones and two sub zones. The geographical boundaries of
these two zones are shown in Climatic Zoning map of Gilan and Mazandaran provinces,
which could be used in determining the design recommendations for different parts of
the region.

Climatic Zoning map of Gilan and Mazandaran provinces

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