The Impacts of Climatic (Seasonality) Strategies on Human Health in Traditional Medicine, and on the Spatial Organization of Traditional Residential Architecture

The aim of this study is to investigate the climatic knowledge of traditional architects and find the role of medical principles of climate-responsive design based on seasonal displacement (as environmental behavior) on human health and on the spatial organization of residential architecture in the four climate types of Iran. Data was collected using an interpretative-historical method; case studies were done using an analytical-comparative method, and data analysis was performed using a qualitative method. The research findings show that medical principles behind seasonal architecture include factors such as location, time, elevation, and orientation of spaces. A general conclusion drawn from the analysis of spatial organization in 18 houses surveyed in the four regions of Iran shows that the houses fall within a hierarchy of climate-responsive design according to the collective medical-climatic knowledge of their time. Hence, their design is in agreement with the medical principles of seasonality. Displacement inside the house depended on time and place according to medical principles which affected the spatial organization of houses. This concept was manifested in the form of introvert double-sided or single-sided, extrovert single-sided, seasonal, diurnal, vertical (along the axis of the sky, i.e., roof, upper part, lower part, underground) and horizontal displacement (front and back parts). As a result, choosing a climate-responsive lifestyle and treatment style based on seasonal displacement shows to maintain health and ensure a sustainable climatic design and thermal comfort for contemporary houses.