Using Wind Catchers as a Passive Cooling System for Residential Buildings in Cyprus H. Altan 1,* and M.B. Tabriz 1 1 Building Environments Analysis Unit (BEAU), School of Architecture, Sheffield University, Sheffield, UK ABSTRACT Reducing energy consumption in the built environment is the most important challenge in the world during the recent decades. The rapid increase of energy consumption in the building sector in most countries are making architects to develop methods for designing buildings which use low energy in different climates. Studying traditional buildings in Cyprus would be useful for architects to get the idea of designing vernacular modern buildings. One of the most important factors to achieve thermal comfort especially in countries with hot climate such as Cyprus is ventilation. Wind towers are traditional cooling systems and are one of the characteristics of vernacular architecture in hot regions such as Iran and the Middle East. As residential buildings are one of the major consumers of the energy use in Cyprus and wind catchers have never been incorporated in any of the building design in the country, this study has focused on the application of wind catchers to the modern residential buildings in Larnaca, Cyprus to recognise whether this design feature is useful in terms of decreasing indoor temperatures and achieving comfort level in residential buildings. Accordingly, the climate of Cyprus has been studied and the traditional buildings have been discussed. Moreover, the traditional architecture and wind towers in Iran have been reviewed. Furthermore, a wind catcher has been applied to an existing modern building in Larnaca and a series of computer simulations have been conducted to analyse the indoor temperatures inside the building before and after applying a wind catcher by using Ecotect and WinAir software. KEYWORDS Residential building, Wind catcher, Indoor environment, Ecotect, Thermal comfort, Cyprus INTRODUCTION Reducing energy consumption and the effects of global warming on the built environment are the most important challenges confronting the planet. Buildings are major energy consumers in the world. Most twenty first-century buildings around the world are dependent on air conditioning systems and electricity, which rely on fossil fuels. In contrast, vernacular architecture is more adaptable to the environment in hot or cold climates. A well-designed building will be comfortable in summer and energy efficient in winter, and will need little energy input to achieve comfort level (Dunster et al. 2008). Studying traditional techniques to understand sustainable strategies, especially in arid central Iran, could be a valuable contribution to the field. Among all vernacular design strategies for passive cooling in hot-dry and hot-humid climates, wind catchers have made a special appearance in the design of residential buildings. In the study, the aim is to apply a wind catcher to an existing modern building that is located in a coastal city of Larnaca in Cyprus. Most contemporary buildings in Larnaca need air conditioners during hot summers to make the space cooler, which is not * Corresponding author email: h.altan@sheffield.ac.uk