The effect of kharkhona on outdoor thermal comfort in Hot and dry climate: A case study of Sistan Region in Iran

Abstract

Few, if any, studies have researched the effects of vegetation, water and shading on outdoor thermal comfort in the hot and dry climate. This study identified and examined the effect of kharkhona as an architectural element of Sistan Region, which is often used in closed spaces, on outdoor thermal comfort in the hot and dry climate of Sistan during the summers of 2019 and 2020 with the aim of improving the unfavorable climatic conditions of the region via building on a technique devised by the residents of Sistan. To this end, a kharkhona was designed, built and evaluated in an open urban space. Physiological equivalent temperature index, which has been shown to be highly associated with the sensation of thermal comfort, was used as the indicator for evaluation of outdoor thermal condition. The findings showed that kharkhona can reduce the PET index by 9.34 °C in the space inside kharkhona compared to the environment outside the construct and moderate the “hot” and “very hot” heat sensation of the space outside kharkhona to “warm” and “slightly warm” in the inner space of the construct. Kharkhona can be used as a reference model for designing natural ventilation and is a viable strategy for modification of outdoor thermal comfort since it can provide better comfort conditions than vegetation.