The Role of Kharkhona in Temperature Adjustment in Rural Houses of Sistan: An Effective Means for Improving Architecture Sustainability

Temperature is a very important factor in environmental comfort. Situated east of Iran, Sistan has a hot and dry climate and the need for temperature adjustment is felt strongly in most areas of the region. In the past, “Kharkhona” was one of the most common elements of the local architecture of Sistan and an effective method for adjusting temperature in the region. A number of studies have been conducted on the qualitative impact of Kharkhona on living spaces; however, the effect of this architectural element on adjusting the inner temperature of rural houses has not been researched quantitatively. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Kharkhona as a sustainability element of the local architecture of Sistan Region in adjusting the inner temperature of rural houses. To this end, three types of space were selected for measurement of temperature: outside space, a room equipped with Kharkhona and a room without Kharkhona. Then, air temperature was measured at different hours during the hot days of the year. The results indicated that the inner temperature of the room without Kharkhona was cooler than that of the outside space only by 0.58 °C while the inner temperature of the room equipped with Kharkhona was cooler by a noticeable 7.69 °C. Considering that 5-10% of electric power is required for adjusting air temperature by one Celsius degree, this amount of temperature decrease can lead to substantial energy saving and it is an important step toward achieving sustainable architecture.