Dehnu School; Passive Design Strategy

November 27, 2018

 

Dehnu School, designed by Amir Abbas Aboutalebi, principal architect at AA Design Atelier, has received honorable mention in the National Competition commissioned by The Ministry of Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This innovative project embodies an interdisciplinary approach that fuses cultural, health, and ethical values within a context-aware, human-centered architectural strategy.

Site and Village Analysis
In 2016, Aboutalebi’s team conducted a thorough evaluation of Dehnu village's civic and economic structure. The project site occupies a sprawling plain encircled by family homes, paddy fields, a highway, existing buildings, two rivers, and the Jebal Barez mountains. The area sits 650 meters above sea level and features one of Iran's hottest climates, with dramatic day-night temperature shifts and strong agricultural and beekeeping potential.

Passive Design Solutions
Addressing these environmental challenges, the Dehnu School project integrates passive architectural techniques that leverage vernacular materials and traditions. The design employs adobe brick mixed with local cement for structural walls, along with granite stone, palm trunks, palm leaf weaves, and Griff-Aitch (Nannorrhops palm) for shading and buffer zones. Concrete foundations and ring beams strengthen the structure while moisture barriers help preserve durability.

Natural cooling and ventilation solutions were central: double skin roofs and facades with palm leaf slats provide shade and facilitate air circulation. Furthermore, the routing of air through ground tunnels, buffer zones, and strategic use of orange trees enhance internal climate control. These choices ensure pleasant classroom conditions even during extreme summer heat, with natural daylight and ventilation optimizing the educational environment.

Community Engagement
The project also stands out for its training component, providing skill development for local laborers by merging traditional building techniques with modern know-how. This participatory model both preserves local traditions and supports economic resilience.

The Dehnu School thus signifies a holistic architectural response, harmonizing environmental adaptation, community benefits, and educational priorities in one of Iran’s most demanding climates.

A Creation by AA Design Atelier
Design Architect: Nakisa Haeri 

Dehnu school is in one of the poorest regions aims to provide further education to the inhabitants of the rural area. Dehnu, with a population of 18590, has no primary education facilities. Diverse design aspects of the project consider the challenging weather conditions where summer temperatures peak at 40’c.

 The project transforms Dehnu school in a climatically comfortable and energetically sustainable new building, by means of three main actions suit to inhabitants living culture meeting a crucial need for education in the region with one of the highest illiteracy rates in IRAN; 

- natural cooling system

- natural daylight

- natural ventilation

 Master-Plan

The project area is a typically vast plain, surrounded with family houses, paddy fields, highway, existing buildings, two rivers, and Jebal Barez mountain chain. The region elevation is about 650-meters above the sea level. The weather is very warm in summer and temperatures are moderate in winter. It is one of the hottest places in Iran with considerable temperature changes in the day and night and also great agricultural  & Beekeeping potentials.

 Building techniques

Our design is dedicated by the climate and by the desire that the building be constructed by human power only. Most of the construction materials used are source available: granite stones for the base, clay, palm trunks, palm leafs weaved, Griff-Aitch(Nannorrhops), adobe bricks. Cement & Glass will be donated from local manufacturers.

 The structure is made primarily of adobe brick, a traditional building material in the region. Adobe bricks, with a small admixture of cement for increased durability.

 A number of improvements upon local building traditions were introduced, such as a concrete foundation and a concrete ring beam to strengthen the structure and a plastic moisture barrier between the foundation and the walls. Concrete beams run across the load-bearing brick walls under a ceiling of more earth bricks.

Dehnu School is made of a mixture of adobe brick, shading Griff-aitrch and water conductor, acting as a buffer against temperature and climate changes. These buffer zones are designed to provide natural cooling, lighting, and ventilation through the 6 adoptable unit classes.

 Residence unskilled laborers can be trained in the building techniques. Creative palm structure designed for double skin roof and Griff-Aitch ( Nannorrhops-Mazzari palm )shading patterns to control the heat. 

The project motivates the community by enhancing the skills of laborers where traditional techniques are combined with new know-how.  

 Natural ventilation cooling effect

The natural ventilation cooling effect is enhanced by routing air through ground tubes (tunnels), planting orange trees, and the use of double skin roof and facades to achieves a 10 ’c thermal reduction. The enhanced indoor comfort and condition are far more conducive to education.

Heat Control

Heat radiates from the ceiling directly into the poorly ventilated classrooms, resulting in  interior temperatures of up to 40 ‘c.

Double skin roof introduces leaf slats to allow air to circulate freely and handmade shelters that protect from rain and also shades the building from the sun. The result is a pleasant climate inside the classrooms even in the extreme summer heat.

 

 

Hanieh Farajzadeh l Villanews