The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Analysis of the Synergistic Performance of Sabat and Windcatcher in Enhancing Natural Ventilation in Traditional Architecture of the Persian Gulf Margin(Case Study: Kong County, Hormozgan Province)

https://doi.org/10.22034/bagh.2025.530398.5849
Volume 22, Issue 151
January 2026
Pages 59-74
The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Ebrahim Esmaelili 1
Hamideh Jafari 2
Sayyed Yaghoub Zolfegharifar 3

1 Department of Architecture, Yasuj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran

2 Department of Art, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Yasuj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasuj, Iran

Abstract
Problem statement: The traditional houses of Bandar Kong in southern Iran are an outstanding example of climate-responsive architecture that employs indigenous elements such as windcatchers and Sabats to combat intense heat and improve natural ventilation.
Research objective: This study aims to analyze the effect of these two elements on the quality of natural ventilation by numerically examining three design scenarios through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation.
Research method: Varying the depth of Sabats, testing different windcatcher configurations, and optimizing the integrated performance of both systems. To evaluate the performance of each scenario, a baseline model was considered as the reference case (Case_Ref), which comprised a house with a central courtyard lacking a windcatcher and Sabat and represented the base conditions of airflow and natural ventilation. The performance of each scenario was simulated in Autodesk CFD 2018 and compared to the reference model using three indicators: airflow velocity, air age, and ventilation efficiency.
Conclusion: The research findings showed that both elements independently were effective in improving interior ventilation; the four-sided windcatcher increased ventilation efficiency by up to 16 times, and deep Sabats, by enhancing horizontal air movement, played an effective role in improving ventilation around the central courtyard. However, the simultaneous combination of these two elements in the optimized sample (Case_Fin) led to remarkable improvements in all indicators: airflow velocity increased up to 8.8times, air age decreased by up to 85%, and ventilation efficiency improved up to 34. 7 times compared to the reference case. These findings indicate that the synergy between traditional elements in climatic design can provide an effective model for improving living quality in hot and humid regions, and that intelligently integrating vernacular patterns with modern simulation tools is a meaningful step toward achieving sustainable architecture.

Keywords

Natural Ventilation
Windcatcher
Sabat
Traditional Architecture
Hot-Humid Climate
Bandar Kong.
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