Sustainable Buildings and their Relationship with Humans and Nature. Lessons from the Past

Over recent decades, the role of the built environment in creating many of the environmental problems that nature and humanity currently face has been highlighted and scrutinized. As a response, the concept of sustainable architecture has emerged, affecting the discourse and practice of architecture with an emphasis on lowering the environmental impacts of the built environment over its lifecycle. Less emphasis, however, is placed on the true meaning of sustainability, which should seek to establish a healthy long-term relationship between humans, nature and buildings. To address this, the built environment should be designed based on respect for the local climate and culture in which it is developed. Only then can it support the natural environment, carry its own identity and restore the sense of belonging lost in most modern buildings.Facing the long road ahead of us, habitats can inspire us when we consider how our ancestors developed a constructive relationship with their surrounding environments as they met their functional and social needs. The authors believe that the concept of sustainable architecture can learn from traditional architecture as a good example of adaptation to the culture and climate. The main objective of this chapter is to examine how traditional architecture in Iran responded to the environmental stimuli of culture and climate.