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University students spend a considerable amount of time in dorm rooms, where their environmental condition affects residents' health, well-being, sleep quality and the associated performance. Accordingly, this study aims to run an initial assessment of the environmental quality of two dormitory buildings in Tehran, using field studies and computational simulation, and then provide feasible optimized improvement strategies. The possible correlation between architectural elements and the environmental quality and the impact of proposed solutions on the annual energy use of these spaces are also discussed.

Field studies and computational simulation.

Results indicate that applied strategies, including shadings, reflectors, thermal and acoustic insulations, inlet vents and ceiling fans, can boost different aspects of the thermal condition, ventilation, acoustics and visual comfort by 21.77, 55.96, 20.69 and 50.37%, respectively. Accordingly, an acceptable comfort level can simply be achieved at a low cost by installing or replacing a few construction elements in dorm rooms. Nevertheless, a systematic architectural design can offer healthy spaces. For instance, south-facing rooms with large windows provide a higher level of thermal comfort and daylight quality.

This study shows that an acceptable level of IEQ can be achieved in dorm rooms by applying simple retrofit strategies. Moreover, energy consumption of dormitories can be significantly reduced using these solutions. However, the efficiency of the strategies in comparison to their economic aspects should be discussed, and results need to be further validated in real conditions. It is also recommended that a more extensive range of dormitory room typologies be studied in future studies. The results of this study are limited to the study context and so they can only be applied in case studies with similar use and climatic condition.

While many studies have explored the environmental quality of dormitories in different climatic conditions, no significant work has been found in Iran, Tehran investigating feasible optimized improvement strategies responding to all IEQ aspects of acoustics, thermal comfort, air and visual quality. Accordingly, this study makes an initial assessment of IEQ factors in a typical dormitory complex, and then develops practical retrofit strategies to bring the environmental condition of these spaces close to the suggested standards.

Life experience in hot and arid areas of Iran has proved that in the transitional seasons (spring and autumn) in which the climate is not too hot, passive cooling systems such as windcatchers (baadgir) have functioned well. This paper intends to investigate the efficiency of a single-side windcatcher as a passive cooling strategy; the case study is the Bina House windcatcher, located in Khousf town, near Birjand city, Iran.

To achieve the aim, air temperature, relative humidity, wind data and mean radiant temperature were measured by the related tools over five days from September 23 to October 23. Then, the thermal performance of the windcatcher was examined by analyzing the effects of all these factors on human thermal comfort. Quantitative assessment of the indoor environment was estimated using DesignBuilder and its computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool, a thermal comfort simulation method to compare the cooling potential of the windcatcher. Windcatcher performance was then compared with two other common cooling systems in the area: single-side window, and evaporative cooler.

The results showed that both windcatcher and evaporative cooler can provide thermal comfort for Khousf residents in the transitional seasons; but the difference is that an evaporative cooler needs to consume water and electricity power, while a windcatcher is a passive cooling system that uses clean energy of wind.

The present study, by quantitative study of single-side windcatchers in a desert region, measured the climatic factors of a historical house and compared it with thermal comfort criteria. Therefore, the results of field measurements were analyzed, and the efficiency of the windcatcher was compared with two other cooling systems, namely single-side ventilation and evaporative cooler, in the two seasons of summer and autumn (transition seasons).