Investigating the Physical Principles Governing Basements Case Study : Instances of houses in yazd,Iran During Qajar Period

Traditional Iranian architectures have taken creative measures to accommodate the residences in order to overcome the difficulties of the conditions in harsh climates. Observations show that in this kind of architecture, different climatic elements and areas are used for cooling and warming buildings, the use of which not to significantly reduces the consumption of fossil fuels but also provides thermal comfort for the residents. Constructing spaces under the ground and being protected by that including basements, cellars, sunken courtyards, water reservoirs, riffles, etc. are among innovative measures taken by traditional architects in this regard. In order to accommodate the hot and dry climate of Yazd, Iran in summer, people went to the underground spaces and lived there. These spaces played a major role in providing climatic comfort for people living in those eras; however, today these spaces have unfortunately been completely forgotten.The present study is a glimpse of different kinds of underground spaces in Yazd; it also examines the physical characteristics of the basements and architectural ideas used in these types of underground spaces. After categorizing the obtained principles, the study tries to extract the effective physical characteristics in providing thermal comfort of the basements. This can pave the way for designers to use underground spaces in order to cope with harsh and unfavorable climatic conditions.In this regard, by analyzing and interpreting 18 samples from the Qajar era houses of Yazd, the study examines the physical principles governing the basements of these houses. Based on the conclusions, the location of original basement and its orientation, the connection between the underground spaces, the connection of the wind catchers with these spaces and the height of the basements can be regarded as the general principles and effective physical features of these basements.