Environmentally Adaptive Architecture: Building-Integrated Salt Construction for Air Quality and Passive Cooling in Tehran

Abstract

The building envelope plays an integral role in its protection against outdoor climatic conditions because the building skin is the most exposed to the outside environment. Adaptive architecture is an innovative approach that maintains an environmentally friendly community; through effective environmental responses. It can be obtained by choosing proper materials, geometry, and considering the environment as the main factor in design. The role of the building envelope in achieving human thermal comfort and well-being is also considerable. This research illustrates vital factors that are influential in adaptive architecture within a polluted region in Tehran, Iran. The adaptive architecture framework is specifically implemented at an existing typical five story multi-family residential unit at the district 12 of Tehran. Environmental strategies are applied to obtain natural ventilation and air circulation in a dense urban environment. As a result, human thermal comfort is achieved and architecture is responsive to its environment in terms of natural ventilation. The building envelope serves multiple functions, such as natural ventilation and air circulation, air purifying through salt construction, and shielding the internal environment. Select experiments were arranged to identify the effectiveness of the proposed environmental system.