eng FLEXIBLE KONFIGURATION UND ANPASSUNG AN DIE UMWELT AM BEISPIEL DER TRADITIONELLEN WOHNHÄUSER SABZEVARS, IRAN This P.hD. thesis focuses on fourteen traditional houses in Sabzevar (a city in a hot and arid region of Iran) that are registered on the National Iranian heritage list. They are analyzed and examined regarding their adaptation to the climatic conditions and their flexibility. The main research questions of this study are: 1- How were traditional houses in the city of Sabzevar adapted to climatic conditions in hot and arid regions only by using passive strategies? 2- What strategies were applied in traditional houses of Sabzevar to meet the needs of different residents during the lifecycle of the house? In parallel with qualitative methods to study the human behavior in the houses, the simulation method is used to examine the thermal behavior of the houses. Also, the Space Syntax tools quantify the spatial patterns of houses and clarify the relationships between spaces and the house users. The general conclusion is that the oldest houses are the most efficient in terms of providing a comfortable indoor climate by means of passive strategies. The other finding is the spatial configuration of traditional houses could be changed to meet the needs of residents in their context, but now they need a higher level of flexibility to overcome the rapid changes in the contemporary time. theses https://phaidra.bibliothek.uni-ak.ac.at/o:7855 RAITH, KARIN LEHNER, ERICH All rights reserved ESTAJI, HASSAN FLEXIBLE CONFIGURATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATION: IN TRADITIONAL HOUSES OF SABZEVAR, IRAN