Investigating the sustainability of a vernacular village

Vernacular architecture, as an attractive product of the society, is an expression of the cultural beliefs, geographical characteristics and available local materials, which inevitably reflects on its territory and context. The vastness of countries such as Iran, with different climatic zones, has initiated the development of logical design solutions via vernacular architecture. The vernacular heritage with self-efficient local materials and climate responsive design is a manifestation of sustainability. This paper presents the principles and methods of vernacular architectural design, used in a historical village, Abyaneh, in the central part of Iran, to address how sustainability has been achieved through vernacular design in this region. This paper also explores how physically sustainable urban settlements can lead to socially sustainable and viable communities. There are many lessons to be learnt from the vernacular architecture of traditional villages, like Abyaneh, which have been shaped organically, throughout the centuries. Through investigation of vernacular strategies, we need to find economically viable and context responsive design solutions in today's contemporary architectural designs. This study is based on the systematic review of the existing literature, site observations and field studies.