A Comparative Study of Indoor Thermal Comfort in Traditional and Contemporary Houses in Erbil’s Hot–Dry Climate

Abstract

Contemporary housing design practices in Erbil’s hot–dry climate remain understudied with respect to indoor thermal comfort performance. This study evaluates indoor thermal comfort in traditional and contemporary dwellings in Erbil, Iraq, a hot–dry climate characterized by extreme summer conditions. An integrated methodology combining field measurements, locally calibrated climatic data, and validated computational simulation was applied to representative case studies. Indoor thermal comfort parameters were monitored, and a custom EnergyPlus Weather (EPW) file was developed to capture local climatic conditions. Year-round computational simulations were conducted using the Ladybug Tools workflow. Indoor thermal comfort was evaluated using the adaptive comfort model for the naturally ventilated traditional courtyard house and the PMV–PPD model for contemporary air-conditioned dwellings, in accordance with ASHRAE 55 Standard. Validation of the computational simulations against field measurements confirmed close agreement between the measured and simulated results. The findings indicate that the traditional house consistently achieved acceptable thermal comfort within adaptive comfort limits, while contemporary houses experienced persistent overheating and elevated discomfort indices. These results demonstrate that thermal underperformance in contemporary housing is primarily driven by architectural and envelope design rather than modeling uncertainty. The study highlights the effectiveness of vernacular, climate-responsive strategies and suggests their integration into sustainable house design in hot–dry regions.