Nowadays an increasing number of people spend a lot of their time in indoor spaces and the global market for Heating,
Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) is increasing very quickly to improve the indoor air quality and the
thermal comfort. The International Energy Agency assesses that almost the 20% of global energy consumption is
addressed to mechanical air conditioning. The use of local resources and the rediscovery opportunities given by passive
cooing and ventilation systems may suggest interesting ways to provide benefits for humans and to reduce environmental
footprint. The paper focuses on the application of wind-catcher system in a modern public school in the
city of Yazd (Iran), in a hot and arid climate zone. Opportunities and benefits are discussed to evaluate the efficiency
of the redesign of the traditional wind-catcher and its integration in new modern buildings.

Authors: Laura Dominici, Elena Comino, Sanam Shivari Sanam Ilkhanlar and Sara Etminan