From Oasis to Paradise: An Introduction to the Multiscale and Multifaceted Adaptation Aspects of Iranian Architecture and Urbanism in Dry Cities

The world is suffering from increasing effects caused by climate change as well as disasters such as extreme heat, droughts and floods. There is a rising need for new approaches, and methodologies to (re)design the urban and rural environments for resilient, sustainable, and livable built environments. The methodologies and approaches used in Iranian architecture and urban design traditions relearn and reuse their adaptation methods to achieve maximum adaptability and comfort in extreme heat and scarce water resources though natural and energy sufficient ways. This chapter will give a contemporary insight into designing our cities and landscapes for dry conditions inspirated by examples from millennia and centuries ago. Iran is a country with different climatic regions, each with ancient architectural and urban design and planning traditions for climate adaptation, creating thermal and environmental comfort for their residents. There are brilliant examples of adaptive methods from the building and housing scale to neighborhoods, landscapes, and city design. They have helped Iranian citizens outlive the harsh climatic conditions and lack of water throughout history. The architectural methods developed in hot arid zones of Iran applied consistent building techniques which promoted passive climatic conditioning of the environment providing shelter and comfort from their natural environment. However, the Iranian cities are losing their building traditions and methods due to homogenizing urban regulations applied throughout the country whereas the neighboring countries are acquiring and claiming these methods as their own. This chapter introduces examples of how Iranian houses, neighborhoods, cities, and villages have coped with dry, hot conditions, with a special emphasis on using natural elements: water, wind, sun and soil for maximum comfort and the best utilization of scarce resources. Examples include creating paradises (Pardis means heaven in Persian) in courtyards and cities (Persian gardens in the cities) by using water and vegetation inside the buildings creating shade and light rhythms in public spaces to cool the cities. It will also include a multiscale analysis of the methods from building scale to neighborhoods and city, underground, ground level, above the ground. The lessons learned can be applied to adapting to today’s pressing issues we are facing towards adaptability, sustainability and resilience.