Iranian Sustainable Building Scientific Association International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability 2538-1628 5 2 2024 04 01 Classifying and Selecting Suitable Courtyard Houses for Sustainability Research 33 45 713377 10.22034/ijumes.2024.2018124.1188 EN Hadi Bagheri Sabzevar Department of Architecture and Urbanism, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran 0000-0003-1191-4310 Fateme Akhlaghinezhad Department of Architecture and Urbanism, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran 0009-0005-8767-7659 Journal Article 2023 12 17 The increasing energy consumption and the phenomenon of global warming underscore the importance of adopting building strategies that are in harmony with climatic conditions. Courtyard houses, recognized for their alignment with hot and dry climates through attention to weather conditions, serve as a successful model. However, changes in lifestyle patterns and urban development have gradually marginalized these traditional houses. Given this, examining the compatibility of courtyard houses with specific climatic conditions has become crucial, necessitating the development of suitable models for empirical evaluations. This study aimed at classifying and selecting suitable courtyard houses as models based on criteria effective for coping with hot and dry conditions. It involved an examination of 39 traditional courtyard houses in Yazd, drawn from the Ganjnameh book by Shahid Beheshti University. These houses were categorized into two main types based on indicators such as the number of facades with rooms, shape, orientation, and courtyard proportions, which influence thermal efficiency. The first group included 15 houses with rooms on all four facades, northeast-southwest orientation, and a taller southwest facade; the second group consisted of 7 houses with similar characteristics but with the southwest facade being equal in height to the other facades. Further analysis of courtyard proportions led to the identification of the Mortaz and Fateh-ha houses as suitable models for the first and second types, respectively. These findings highlight the significant role of revisiting and revitalizing traditional architecture in addressing contemporary environmental challenges and providing sustainable solutions for urban design and architecture. https://www.ijumes.com/article_713377_bcac41366abc5d5221e624905f3c742c.pdf