The Critical Role of Open Space to Achieve Sustainable Architecture

Now, more than ever, people are aware of our effect on the environment. Sustainable design strategies are of great importance nowadays. The strategy for sustainable development aims to promote harmony among human beings and between humanity and nature. The environment has endangered significantly by architecture. So another trend picking up speed is sustainable architecture. This involves buildings designed to have as little effect on the environment as possible. The study and reflection of vernacular sustainable architecture in arid climate areas such as Yazd, Kashan, as well as the way of indigenous human interaction with the environment revealed sustainable-based reflection is not a novelty subject. The architecture of these areas is incredibly consistent with the principles of sustainability. In Iranian traditional architecture open spaces aren’t only the rest of the building design but also they have a fundamental function .Although Open spaces have been one of the most effective factors in architecture and traditional urban planning of Iran, but contemporary architecture and urban housing focus on building mass and solid poche and as a result, building places in environment as a sculpture. Accordingly, this qualitative research aims to explain the role of open spaces in sustainable architecture of these areas and evaluate open space according to sustainability. First of all, the principles of sustainable architecture are mentioned. Then selected houses and neighborhoods are compared with those principles by comparison method. We propose three principles of sustainable architecture in this study. Economy of Resources is concerned with the reduction, reuse, and recycling of the natural resources that are input to a building. Life Cycle Design provides a methodology for analyzing the building process and its impact on the environment. Humane Design focuses on the interactions between humans and the natural world. In the research case study (hot and dry areas): In the design of traditional central courtyards houses, there are several precautions taken to mitigate the temperature extremes. Houses are surrounded by high walls and isolated from the street. During the day, external walls of houses usually provide shady areas in narrow streets and especially in courtyards. The main streets in the town face the direction of the prevailing wind. Of course, the streets are narrower than streets built for other purposes (in other regions). Surely if the streets were not narrow more sand would have been blown into the streets and ferocious winds would have penetrated into the city districts. Meanwhile the compact nature of the buildings prevents very high temperatures to develop by exposure to the sun. The findings depict the open spaces have critical role in creating sustainable, vernacular architecture in arid climate areas. So, the consideration of this efficient element paves the way for achieving sustainable architecture. On this basis, in temporary architecture Open spaces including courtyards, voids, and spaces between buildings should be given as much thought as the buildings mass. This research has been done in qualitative approach and descriptive research method data collection is done by observation and study of written references, documents and evidences.