Babak Ashtari - PhD Candidate, Department of Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Mansour Yeganeh - Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Khosro Daneshjoo - Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

In view of the current environmental crisis and the negative effects of the extravagant use of fossil fuels, which are non-renewable sources of energy, and the high proportion of the building sector in this respect, the proper methods for utilizing solar energy in buildings are becoming more and more significant. Passive solar architecture, namely those features that should be considered during the design process of a building, even in the conceptual phase, can be noticed as the most feasible measures in this context. There are a large number of studies on passive solar architecture from different perspectives, but a thorough study with a focus on certain design requirements that are mandatory for passive solar architecture has yet to be conducted.Accordingly, the main objective of the present study is to carry out a systematic review of literature in order to extract the primary design parameters that should be applied to the design process of a building based on the principles of passive solar architecture. To do so, the basic procedure required for a systematic review of the literature has been applied and, on the basis of Science Direct and Scopus as the main databases, data collection has been undertaken over the past two decades as the most intensive period of publication on the subject. In terms of data analysis, i.e. the extractionof certain design criteria set out in the resulting texts, a qualitative descriptive-analytical method has been occupied. As the findings indicate, there are some factors relating to the surrounding environment, such as climatic condition, site complications and regional texture, along with some consideration in the design, including orientation of the structure, form and layout of the construction, proper arrangement of the fenestrations that should be taken into consideration for passive solar architecture

Passive solar architecture, Solar energy, Design criteria, Building envelope, Conceptual phase