In the aftermath of recent socio-economic transformations an‎d the burgeoning trend of reverse migration to rural settlements in Iran, construction patterns have progressively diverged from indigenous, climate-responsive architecture, gravitating toward modern approaches that are predominantly non-local. Although this evolution has elevated levels of everyday comfort an‎d welfare, it has concurrently compromised the efficiency of water, electricity, an‎d gas consumption, thereby highlighting the imperative for a critical reassessment of the physical an‎d functional sustainability of rural dwellings. The present study, undertaken in 2024–2025, adopts the village of Deh-Bala (Taft County, Yazd Province) as a case study to investigate the interplay between architectural attributes (physical, material, an‎d behavioral) an‎d resource consumption patterns across three housing typologies: traditional, intermediate, an‎d modern. The conceptual framework is anchored in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) within the operational phase (modules B6 an‎d B7). The principal objectives comprise identifying consumption patterns, appraising the efficacy of conservation interventions, an‎d proffering integrated strategies to foster environmental sustainability. The research methodology employs a mixed-methods design (qualitative–quantitative), predicated on field-derived data encompassing architectural surveys, direct observations, an‎d semi-structured interviews. In the quantitative domain, Likert-scale questionnaires were administered to elicit perspectives from 10 architecture specialists an‎d 28 resident households. Data analysis leveraged descriptive metrics (medians an‎d comparative eva‎luations) alongside the formulation of matrices delineating actions an‎d barriers (emphasizing impact, acceptance rates, an‎d implementation challenges). The findings indicate that the three housing typologies engender disparate consumption profiles. Modern dwellings, predicated on mechanical apparatuses an‎d novel infrastructural systems, exhibit elevated water usage; by contrast, traditional houses evince superior efficacy in electrical an‎d gas energy management, attributable to intrinsic climatic architectural features such as optimal building orientation an‎d maximal harnessing of natural daylight. Intermediate houses, meanwhile, manifest transitional dynamics amenable to optimization. The results further underscore that while architectural interventions within traditional fabrics garner heightened acceptability, economic, infrastructural, an‎d cultural impediments curtail their efficacious deployment in modern structures. In aggregate, the attenuation of climatic elements in contemporary architecture has amplified dependence on mechanical technologies, thereby diminishing environmental sustainability benchmarks. The studyʹs synthesis posits that sustainability in rural housing cannot be attained through reliance on cutting-edge technologies alone; rather, it deman‎ds a perspicacious revival of indigenous architectural tenets, judiciously amalgamated with modern innovations. In contrast, a different pattern is observed in electricity consumption, where traditional houses exhibit the highest usage, followed by newly built an‎d transitional ones. Overall, the study underscores that environmental sustainability in rural settlements depends not only on the adoption of modern technologies but also on preserving vernacular intelligence in design, behavior, an‎d resource use .Reviving vernacular architectural principles can thus provide a foundation for sustainable development an‎d reduced resource consumption in future rural housing design.

علي يوسفي

عليرضا علي پور , حسن كريم مجني