Thermal comfort assessment of historical roofed passageways (Saabaat) in hot and arid climates: A comparative study

This research evaluates the outdoor thermal comfort in roofed passageways in a historical fabric in the hot and arid climate of Iran. The main question is, how much is the difference between the level of thermal comfort between shade and sunlight in the roofed passages of this climate in the hot season, and how much do these spaces reduce the heat level? The calculation of this difference has not been evaluated for these buildings. By microclimatic data obtained from a field study, in the summer of 2023 and physiological equivalent temperature (PET) level analysis using Rayman software, it was determined that the average of this index is 42.06 °C in the shade of these spaces and 49.43 °C in the sunlight. The shade of spaces increases thermal comfort by 16.1% and reduces the temperature by 7.36°C compared to direct sunlight. The results can show the climatic importance of these buildings in the historical fabrics of hot and arid climates for their conservation and, also, use in the climatic design of new urban spaces.