Iranian Sustainable Building Scientific Association International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability 2538-1628 7 1 2026 05 01 The Role of Water and Traditional Water Supply Systems in Shaping the Howzkhane of Qajar Houses in Shiraz and Isfahan: A Comparative Architectural Analysis 154 163 737217 10.22034/ijumes.2026.2091144.1369 EN Abaseh Sarparast Department of Architecture, Yas.C., Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran 0000-0002-5782-7370 Farnoosh Saghaei Department of Architecture and Urban Development ,Shi.C.,Islamic Aad University ,Shiraz,Iran 0000-0002-6474-1321 Maryam Ghasemi Sichani Department of Architecture and Urban Development ,Kho.C.,Islamic Aad University ,Esfahan,Iran 0000-0003-0590-9363 Zarir Salehpour Servak Department of Architecture and Urban Development ,Yas.C.,Islamic Azad University ,Yasuj,Iran 0009-0003-2776-3016 Journal Article 2026 02 19 Water constitutes one of the most structurally decisive elements in the architecture of traditional Iranian domestic spaces, operating simultaneously across functional, climatic, symbolic, and spatial-organisational registers. In Qajar-period houses of Shiraz and Isfahan two climatically similar yet morphologically distinct historic cities of central and southern Iran water achieved its most architecturally refined expression through the institution of the howzkhane: a semi-subterranean, vaulted water chamber positioned at the intersection of the house's principal spatial axes. This study undertakes a systematic comparative architectural analysis of the howzkhane as a typologically and tectonically specific water space, examining its relationship to traditional water supply systems (qanats, wells, and internal hydraulic networks) and its role in mediating spatial organisation, bioclimatic performance, and cultural meaning in Qajar domestic architecture. The research adopts a qualitative, descriptive-analytical methodology, combining documentary and library-based data collection with field observation and spatial analysis of selected exemplary houses. Following a systematic review of theoretical and historical foundations, a comparative analytical framework of twenty candidate architectural dimensions was developed and progressively refined through expert consultation employing the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) with a fourteen-member panel over four sequential rounds, applying escalating consensus thresholds (2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 on a five-point Likert scale) and reducing the candidate set from twenty to fifteen, twelve, ten, and confirming ten validated comparative dimensions. Expert consensus was confirmed by Kendall's coefficient of concordance, reaching 0.781 in the final round. https://www.ijumes.com/article_737217_7839fb0ee94b7c7ec2a7b445e960de2e.pdf