Ardalan Aflaki - Assistant Professor Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Art, GuilanUniversity, Rasht, Iran

Buildings consume huge amount of energy in order to provide thermal comfort satisfaction for occupants. In modern architecture, this issue is the main concern of many architects and building scientists simultaneously whereas mechanical systems for cooling and heating purposes are regularly used. Using HVAC systems in buildings without attention to the adverse effects such as carbon footprint production seriously can impact on natural environment destructively. Looking to vernacular architectural elements, this study aims to review various design strategies and techniques have been used previously in tropical climate to recommend for future architecture generation. It is believed that by adaptation of those techniques can control and decrease the consumption of energy in the modern buildings. By reviewing literatures in related field, the study classifies the most effective strategies through academic papers and dissertations. The results show that application of natural ventilation in buildings and using the appropriate building orientation are the main elements in compared with other variables. Finally, the study recommends the application of bio-climatic design approaches in modern building in order to reduce energy consumption.

Energy consumption, bio-climatic design, HVAC systems, vernacular architectural elements, natural ventilation