I am not a specialist of Iranian architecture, but a building physicist who worked on the use of natural principles to improve both indoor environment quality and energy efficiency. The attached file presents the bases of this strategy. It important to adapt the architectural design to the climate, and computer simulations help in understanding the effects of these measures on a particular building in a particular climate.
The vernacular architecture is often well adapted to the climate, and the modern materials, when well applied, can be used to improve the performance of such architecture.