Formal sustainability in Iran’s arid regions: optimizing thermal performance through vernacular bioclimatic strategies

The transition from vernacular architectural patterns to current architecture in rural Iran has led to various socio-cultural and environmental problems in the last decade. This study explores the nature of this transition, which has been overlooked in the studies of vernacular architecture in Iran. Furthermore, this article contributes to the ongoing academic debate on the decline and transformation of vernacular architectural patterns in the context of modernization. It analyzes the forces behind the decline and rise of vernacular settlements in a case study area, the Salami region of the Khaf district in Iran’s Khorasan Razavi province, by exploring how it is possible to reinterpret vernacular architectural patterns in the context of current architecture to utilize the new developments in rural Iran not as an obstacle but as an opportunity for improvement. To this end, this article explores vernacular architectural patterns in a case study area in Iran, supported by socio-cultural aspects and the environmental conditions of the region. This study conducts architectural and anthropological fieldwork on three vernacular houses in a case study area and uses participant observation and informal interview methods to understand the people and their interaction with their built environment. The findings of this article thus contradict previous studies on learning from vernacular architecture by shedding light on vernacular architecture in Iran as a system by demonstrating the inextricable links between different vernacular architectural patterns. Therefore, this study argues that to draw lessons from vernacular architectural patterns for current architecture in rural Iran, it is necessary to limit its communication concerning people’s contemporary needs but not to neglect this communication completely.

Finding ways to improve regional energy efficiency is important for the Chinese government to achieve its dual carbon target. This paper aims to explore ways to improve regional energy efficiency by studying the spatial–temporal dynamic evolution of energy efficiency. To scientifically study the evolution trend in regional energy efficiency in China, this study uses convergence analysis, a spatial Gini coefficient decomposition model (no spatial consideration), and a spatial Markov chain model and spatial measurement model (spatial consideration). The results show the following: from 2008 to 2019, the mean value of regional single-factor energy efficiency (RS) showed an obvious trend of continuous increase, while the mean value of regional green total-factor energy efficiency (RT) changed from a trend of continuous decline to a relatively stable trend. The overall Gini coefficient of RS showed a trend of “steady–rising–steady”, and the overall Gini coefficient of RT showed a trend of “steady–small increase–sharp increase–fall”. There was club convergence in the two types of regional energy efficiency, and both of them achieved certain “leapfrog” changes. The factors that had a significant impact on RS include human capital, industrialization, openness, urbanization, financial development, and innovation environment. The significant factors for RT included governance structure, industrialization, openness, policy support, and financial development. The limitation of this paper is that only provincial data were used. In the future, city-level data can be mined and more detailed policy suggestions can be put forward for city-level differences. The research method used in this paper to study regional energy efficiency evolution trends is also applicable to other countries.

Research on the impact of green finance on energy efficiency in different regions of China based on the DEA-Tobit model

This study adopts a relatively infrequent approach to explore the impact of environmental regulation and technological innovation on energy efficiency (EFF) based on the undesired superefficiency SBM and random Tobit model. To study the universal EFF, we establish the undesired superefficiency SBM model, which is composed of three input indexes such as energy, one expected output index, and three pollution emissions as the undesired output index, consider the EFF of the sample with an effective decision-making unit (DMU) value less than 1, and calculate with the MATLAB software, according to panel data of 30 Chinese provincial-level regions from 2001 to 2019. The empirical results show that the EFF has an N-type trend in the eastern, central, and western regions of China. When exploring the impact of environmental regulation and technological innovation on EFF, we conduct an empirical analysis of the eastern, central, and western regions with the random Tobit model. The regression results indicate that the impact of environmental regulation on EFF in the different regions varies significantly. Technological innovation has different impacts on EFF in different regions and is the main influencing factor of EFF. Moreover, we strive to analyze the impact of cross-term environmental regulation and technological innovation and find that the cross-term has a significant positive impact on EFF in each region. These results emphasize that environmental regulation and technological innovation have positive or negative impacts on EFF, and both impacts may exist simultaneously, which is a perfection of the EFF theory.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are largely driven by fossil fuels. To reduce CO2 emissions in China, it is important to determine influential factors of energy efficiency. This paper introduces a slacks-based measure window analysis approach to evaluate regional dynamic energy efficiency during 2001–2010, and then explores energy efficiency determinants by considering spatial effects, which is conducted based on spatial econometric models. The empirical results show that there exist evident spatial correlations between regional energy efficiencies in China. We find that, there exist evident disparities in cumulative effects of energy efficiency among the eastern, central and western areas. Interestingly, significant energy efficiency spatial spillovers can be clearly found between regions within the western area and across the eastern and western areas. It is found that, energy structure, energy price, railway transportation development and R&D stock are significant at national level. However, energy structure and railway transportation development are insignificant in the central and western areas, while energy price and R&D stock are insignificant in the eastern and central areas, respectively. Industrial structure and urbanization level are found to be insignificant at national level, but industrial structure is significant in the eastern and western areas, and urbanization level is significant in the central and western areas. Surprisingly, industrial structure and urbanization level are found to have positive impacts on energy efficiency in the western area. In addition to regional disparities and local conditions, policies making should take efficiency spatial spillovers into consideration. Several interesting policy implications are achieved.

Chapter 27 - Groundwater sustainability in cold and arid regions

Passive environment control system of Kerala vernacular residential architecture for a comfortable indoor environment: A qualitative and quantitative analyses

Traditional Iranian architecture principles have deep roots in this region’s culture, thoughts, and climatic conditions. Privacy, as one of these principles, which has ever regulated all aspects of life, has been beautifully embodied in the vernacular residential architecture of Iran. It proved to have profound effects which resulted in a specific spatial organization of the house and the placement of various functions, either private or semi-private. Many research studies have claimed that privacy was an attribute of Islamic rules in Iranian architecture. Based on historical and phenomenological analyses of vernacular Iranian architecture this paper strives to confront the privacy principle also according to Iranian (or former Persian) culture, climate, and security conditions. Changed geopolitical and cultural conditions in the 20th century raised new forms of architectural residential morphology almost completely negating the principle of privacy. The question is whether the vernacular principle of privacy should be embodied in the new design of Iranian residential houses or be preserved merely as an expression of former culture increasing the quality of the image of the city and its attractiveness. The research completed by qualitative morphological and analytical methods clarifies the mentioned principles and identifies the definition of privacy, the factors affecting it, the roots of its formation, its influence on the physical-spatial organization of traditional residential architecture in Iran, and its continuation in modern residential architecture in Iran.

Green Architecture in clinical centres with an approach to Iranian sustainable vernacular architecture (Kashan City)

Can regional integration narrow city-level energy efficiency gap in China?

This paper measures energy efficiency in China using the three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model and then tests the convergence of China’s energy efficiency. The study finds that environmental factors and random factors both have significant impacts on energy efficiency. After eliminating the influences of environmental and random error factors, the results present that the pure technical efficiency improves and the scale efficiency decreases, but pure technical efficiency is far lower than scale efficiency in terms of energy utilization, which indicates that low pure technical efficiency is the main factor constraining China’s energy efficiency. China’s energy efficiency presents obvious regional differences, and the energy efficiency in eastern regions is higher than that in midwestern regions. Based on the matching relationship between energy efficiency and input level, China can be regionally divided into four energy utilization modes: high efficiency and high input mode, high efficiency and low input mode, low efficiency and high input mode, and low efficiency and low input mode. Nationally, the difference in regional energy efficiency should maintain a relatively high level in the short term; divergence occurs in terms of pure technical efficiency and overall technical efficiency, while scale efficiency manifests a significant absolute convergence feature. Differential energy strategy should be carried out according to the features of different districts. Eastern regions should decrease the dependence on external energy, and develop advanced techniques with lower energy consumption. The improvement of energy efficiency in Midwest regions should depend on changing a traditionally highly energy-intensive industrial structure, undertaking clear industrial transfer from the east, excavating latent energy savings with the high-energy industry sector, and accelerating the transformation to an intensive pattern. Strengthening the energy corporation of China not only enhances energy efficiency in eastern regions but also improves energy efficiency in midwestern regions by spillover effect. Accordingly, it could improve energy efficiency balance and robustness.

Do the national industrial relocation demonstration zones have higher regional energy efficiency?

بیان مساله: حیاط، در معماری ایرانی از گذشته تا به امروز نقش به سزایی رادر پیکره بندی فضاهای معماری ایفا می کند. در این بین چگونگی ترکیب فضاهای سر پوشیده با فضاهای باز یکی از نکات مهم در طراحی و ساخت فضاهای معماری می باشد. وجود حیاط در معماری ایرانی به خصوص مناطق کویری اهمیت فوق العاده ایی دارد. به گونه ایی که اکثر فضاهای معماری ناحیه کویر به حیاط مرکزی ختم می شوند. آرامگاه شاه نعمت الله ولی یکی از با شکوه ترین معماری آرامگاهی در ایران می باشد، که با داشتن چهار حیاط (صحن ) متعددشباهت ها وتفاوت های فضایی خاصی را از این نوع سازماندهی فضایی دارامی باشد،به گونه ایی که، آرامگاه را به صورت توده و فضا در معماری ایرانی به نمایش می گذارد.الگوی چیدمان فضایی آرامگاه شاه نعمت الله ولی در نوع خود بسیار منحصر به فرد می باشد. سوال تحقیق: ارتباط بین چیدمان فضایی آرامگاه شاه نعمت الله ولی با حیاط های مجموعه به چه صورت می باشد ؟ چه تاثیری نقش حیاط در پیکره بندی فضایی بنای آرامگاهی دارد ؟ هندسه حیاط در مجموعه آرامگاهی چه تاثیری بر دیدهای بصری به وجود می آورد ؟ اهداف تحقیق: پژوهش حاضر با هدف، بررسی نقش حیاط درچگونگی، سازماندهی فضایی معماری آرامگاهی با استفاده از تکنیک نحو فضا می پردازد تا بتوان به کمک این تکنیک، نحوه ی فضا سازی حیاط های مجموعه را مشخص کرد . روش تحقیق: پژوهش حاضر از نوع توصیفی – تحلیلی بوده و در تحلیل هر یک از حیاط های آرامگاه در ابتدا به ترسیم گراف های توجهی از نقاط مختلف حیاط و سپس با استفاده از نرم افزار Depthmapبه تحلیل هریک از شاخص های نحو فضا، در حیاط های مجموعه پرداخته شد. سپس پارامتری هایی چون عمق، اتصال، هم پیوندی ودسترسی فیزکی و بصری آرامگاه در نرم افزار Depthmapمورد بررسی قرارگرفته اند. مهم‌ترین یافته‌ها و نتیجه‌گیری تحقیق: نتایج به دست آمده از پژوهش حاضر نشان داد که، حیاط در ارتقا راندمان عملکردی فضاهای آرامگاهی تاثیر شگرفی خواهد داشت.لیکن هندسه شکل گیری حیاط و محل استقرار آن تا مقبره در هم پیوندی، ارتباط و عمق حیاط تاثیر به سزایی در پیکره بندی فضایی آرامگاه دارد وهندسه مناسب حیاط برای دست یابی به حوزه های مختلف فضایی، نقش موثری را ایفا می کند.

Improving energy efficiency is an important breakthrough to effectively solve the contradiction between economic development and environmental protection. Using a fixed-effect model, spatial Durbin model and panel threshold model, this paper takes panel data of 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions (except Tibet) in mainland China from 2007 to 2019 as samples to demonstrate the impact of high-tech industry agglomeration and government intervention on regional energy efficiency and the mechanism among the three. The results show that high-tech industry agglomeration has a significant positive impact on regional energy efficiency, and government intervention has a significant inhibitory effect on regional energy efficiency. When the three factors act together, government intervention has a distorting effect on the impact of high-tech industry agglomeration on energy efficiency. Both high-tech industrial agglomeration and energy efficiency have spatial spillover effects. The impact of high-tech industry agglomeration on energy efficiency has significant spatial heterogeneity. Based on the above analysis and conclusion, practical policy suggestions are put forward to achieve the goal of improving energy efficiency and effectively solving the contradiction between economic development and environmental protection.

Total factor energy efficiency in regions of China: An empirical analysis on SBM-DEA model with undesired generation