Sirdāb
Earth-cooled basement room
Born in Iraq (Baghdad), Iran.
How it works
A half-sunken summer room wrapped in earth, which stays near the stable underground temperature all year. Air from a windcatcher above is drawn down into it and cooled by the surrounding ground before it reaches the family through the hottest hours.
In a modern home
Earth-coupled basements and semi-sunken rooms used as the summer living space; even a partly buried north room borrows the ground's coolness.
What it answers
Source
Warren & Fethi, Traditional Houses in Baghdad (1982); the sirdab paired with the badgir.
Follow the threads
Thick earthen wallsshares overheating, west wall heat, store & slow heat→Overhanging balcony & deep verandahshares overheating, west wall heat, cool→Projecting eave / sunshadeshares overheating, west wall heat, cool→Cavity brick wallshares overheating, store & slow heat, cool→Dry-stone corbelled roofshares overheating, store & slow heat, cool→Kutch circular mud houseshares overheating, store & slow heat, cool→