Abstract:
Architecture in the Middle East and Southeast Asia plays a role in the fight against extreme
temperatures. The countenance of traditional houses and collective spaces in such areas can be
considered precursory examples of environmental and sustainable design in the modern sense, as well
as a response to external climatic conditions. When respect for the environment and the struggle
against climate change are in place, it is vital to find low-impact building solutions that use natural
ventilation. But not all the newly constructed buildings present the same conventional and historical
features and of course, globalization, and changes in the behavior of the populations contribute to
shaping the construction and the face of such properties. This research studies the thermal comfort and
perception, green cooling strategies of traditional buildings, and at the same time, their modern
counterparts. What’s the thermal perception inside such buildings? How does traditional architecture
influence and is used in the construction of contemporary buildings? How much can social aspects
affect the choice of alternative cooling? Does aesthetics matter? These are some of the issues that will
be covered in the research, where also the population that lives in such areas will be a focus. The
relationship between the environment and sustainable, traditional architecture will be studied both
from secondary sources and questionnaires with an on-field socio-economic approach. Given that, in
western culture, there is extensive abuse of air conditioning in buildings, which of course has a
significant impact on the environment, this research aims to understand and study the traditional and
low-impact cooling methods of two of the hottest areas of the world deeply to see if some cooling
strategies and architectural features can be considered valid alternatives to our cooling approaches and
in case exported to create modern sustainable buildings in Europe.
