Analyzing the Reasons for the Unconditioned Space in the Thermal Shell of the Apodyterium of Kashan Bathhouses

Problem statement:

  Various estimates have been presented regarding effective strategies for reducing heat loss and energy storage in the body of traditional Iranian bathhouses. However, the efficiency level has not been determined due to the impossibility of calculating the function of each one.

This study attempts to the efficacy of three common strategies in the body of bathhouses, including “compactness in the texture and neighborhood”, “entering the ground” and “surrounding the apodyterium among unconditioned spaces” to see which is the most effective in preventing heat loss from the shell in traditional Kashan bathhouses.

The present study uses a quantitative paradigm and energy simulation strategy. In this study, Design Builder software was used for its calculations. It is based on evidence obtained from the physical reading of the spatial structure of traditional bathhouses in Kashan City. They were selected using a non-random sampling method.

Surrounding the apodyterium spaces among the unconditioned spaces in Kashan bathhouses has had different results which can be explained by their centrality in the bathhouse plans. However, in its minimum state, the space has been effective with a mean of 13.94% per year in Sultan Ahmed Bathhouse and 46.74% in Khan Bathhouse. This figure has reached 33. 18 percent compared to all four bathhouses. It shows the significance and efficiency of this strategy compared to the insignificant efficiency share of the strategies of inserting the bathhouse inside the ground and “compact urban texture to use the neighborhood” with values of 5. 44 and 0.6, respectively.