Analysis of Energy Efficiency of Urban Fabrics in the Hot and Dry Climates, Case Study: Isfahan

Among the most important factors affecting energy consumption in the building sector are social and economic conditions, the culture of energy consumption, geographical and climatic characteristics of a city, the role of a city, efficiency of energy supply and consumption systems, and physical/spatial parameters of buildings and residential fabrics. Addressing urban form through planning and design can significantly reduce the amount of energy consumption. The energy-efficient approach is one of the five dimensions of sustainable development and pursues the reduction of energy demands, reduction of fossil fuel consumption, and the supply of clean energy. Therefore, this approach can greatly benefit the building sector if applied in the design of building complexes and urban fabrics. In this study, eight types of building form and four patterns of urban blocks were analyzed in terms of energy efficiency using descriptive-analytical methods, typological studies, and simulation modeling. The relationship between research variables—the physical characteristics of urban form (urban form and urban block) and energy consumption (energy consumption for heating, cooling and lighting)—in each of the proposed scenarios was investigated using the energy simulation software Design Builder. Based on the results of the present research, the optimal model of residential massing is heavily influenced by factors such as neighboring masses, form, dimensions and building pattern, blockage pattern, and road networks—building pattern and road network structure having the highest influence. Therefore, before the implementation phase or at the stage of assessing alternative designs, it is possible to obtain the optimal forms of single buildings or urban compositions with the help of building energy simulation.