Adobe versus concrete: Passive energy analysis in residential buildings in the hot and arid climate of Kashan city

  • Peyman Naghipour orcid

    Department of Architecture, Ta.C., Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
  • Afshin Naghipour orcid

    Department of Civil Engineering-Civil, Ta.C., Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
  • Tarana Bakirova orcid

    Graphic and Media Design Department, Design Faculty, Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction, Baku, Azerbaijan
  • Farazin Soltani Gerd Faramarzi orcid

    Department of Architecture, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
  • Faraneh Soltani Gerd Faramarzi orcid

    Department of Architecture, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Article ID: 4029
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/be4029
Keywords: adobe and concrete materials, thermal performance, carbon, hot-arid climate, energy simulation, sustainable building

Abstract

Hot-arid regions, such as central Iran, face extreme summer temperatures exceeding 40 °C and mild winters, creating significant cooling and heating demands in residential buildings. Modern construction in these climates predominantly uses reinforced concrete, which has high thermal conductivity and limited capacity to moderate indoor temperatures. In contrast, adobe-a traditional, locally sourced material with high thermal mass-has been largely overlooked in contemporary housing despite its passive climate-adaptive properties. Previous research has rarely conducted year-round, simulation-based comparisons of adobe and concrete in such environments, leaving a clear knowledge gap. This study hypothesises that adobe can substantially reduce annual energy loads compared to concrete in a representative hot-arid climate. A novelty of this work is the integration of full-year OpenStudio simulations, validated by DesignBuilder (R2 = 0.999), using real meteorological data from Kashan and a standardised residential prototype. Results show that adobe reduced total annual thermal loads by 74–78% (≈7325 kWh) and lowered peak summer cooling demand by 81.7% (August) as well as winter heating demand by ~80% (January). Optimal performance was achieved at a 45 cm wall thickness, balancing thermal benefit and material use. Over 10 years, these energy savings translate into an operational cost reduction of about 5860 USD and avoid approximately 16,750 kg CO₂/year, supporting adobe as a low-carbon, cost-effective option for hot-arid housing.

Published
2026-03-23
How to Cite
Naghipour, P., Naghipour, A., Bakirova, T., Soltani Gerd Faramarzi, F., & Soltani Gerd Faramarzi, F. (2026). Adobe versus concrete: Passive energy analysis in residential buildings in the hot and arid climate of Kashan city. Building Engineering, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.59400/be4029
Issue
Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026)
Section
Article

Copyright (c) 2026 Peyman Naghipour, Afshin Naghipour, Tarana Bakirova, Farazin Soltani Gerd Faramarzi, Faraneh Soltani Gerd Faramarzi

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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