Rereading the Geometrical Physical Elements of Kerman Icehouses

Residents of the hot and dry climate, despite having long summers, have achieved a solution that makes drinking cold water throughout the year possible, as well as using ice to keep food intact. The solution was icehouse which makes ice in the low temperature of the desert winter night. Dimensions, size, direction, and setting of icehouses directly affect their final form. There are various forms of icehouses in different cities. This difference is due to the form, shape, and geometry of elements and their components. Offering remedial solutions require a sound and comprehensive recognition of the building. Unfortunately, nowadays icehouses have become a lost element in urban spaces due to lack of comprehensive research and proper presentation. This research redefines the part of the technology related to  Iranian past life and also provides a situation for reusing the technology. Surveying the typology of the icehouse and concerning the influence of geometry on  their construction in Kerman area would be an effective step in the conservation and restoration of this forgotten element in our traditional architecture and urban spaces. This paper aims to reread the geometrical features of icehouse elements (plan and elevation) and to analyze their impact on the final form of icehouses in Kerman. Researchers have previously increasingly researched the recognition and also the way of the ice making in ice houses before. In this paper, for the first time, the position of geometry in the elements of icehouses and their final form is discussed. The present research uses the analytical- descriptive method and data are collected using desk and survey research. Having scrutinized the icehouses of Kerman province and their elevation, plan, and section, the comparative uses of their geometric properties were analysed. Then the influencing factors were identified. The results showed the angle of sunshine, and wind direction are the factors that affect the geometry of the plan and direction of shading wall. In order to prevent sunlight during sunrise and sunset time, the adjunct  wall have been made to restrict the sunlight on the east and west of icemaking ponds by implementing a U-shaped wall that offers shades. Also, the architects used to connect the adjunct walls to act as a buttress, for greater stability of the main shady walls. The position of the dome in the plan also causes disconnection and continuity in the form of shady walls. In taller walls, the wall is divided into two parts with a dome in the center so that these two sides act as a buttress for the wall. The wall shapes an L form in contact with the dome and the dome prevents the walls to fall like a buttress. The shadow wall was designed in a vertical line in the direction of the prevailing wind in the cold season, in order to restrain the cold air. The location of the dome was also influenced by the shady wall in the general plan of the icehouse. As in some cities, the dome is located in the north of the shady wall, like the icehouses of Kerman, and in some cities such as Yazd and Kashan, the dome is in the south of the shady wall, which is due to the difference in the angle of the solar radiation. In the icehouses where the dome is located in the north, the entrances are in the east and west of the dome, and in the icehouses where the dome is located in the south of the shady wall, the entrances are located in the north and south. The advantage of locating the entrances in the east and west is the preventing the hot air to penetrate in the dome and locating these entrances in the shadow. Also, the dimension of the dome has a direct effect on the type of staircases inside the hole store. Thus, in the icehouses with a big opening dome, because of sufficient space, the staircase is circular, and in the small openings due to lack of space, there is a straight staircase. This research for the first time considers the typology of icehouses in Kerman based on geometry and analyzes the effect of this factor on each component of an icehouse in this area. In order to achieve the authentic form of these icehouses and also a principled restoration, a precise recognition of the geometry and also their forms are required. Today, with the expansion of the cities and setting of the icehouse in the downtown areas and due to the non-standard restorations, the main form of icehouses has changed which can be prevented by recognizing their forms in each region. A proper criterion for the classification of icehouses can be reached with recognizing the characteristics of icehouses of each region and also an attempt for recognition of latent meanings of these elements of traditional architecture to be utilized as a model in urban design. Studies in this research can be performed on icehouses of other cities in Iran, such as Kashan, Nain, Yazd.