The Cognition of Iranian Traditional Architecture’s Elements in Award-Winning Projects (Case Study: Memar-Award, 2008 to 2017)

Subject Areas : Creative City Design

Sama Modirrousta ¹ , Vida Norouz Borazjani ² , Mahmud Rezaei ³

1 - Department of Architecture, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Department of Architecture, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 - Department of Architecture, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Received: 2022-05-08 Accepted : 2022-07-27 Published : 2022-04-01

Keywords: Cognition, Competitions, Iranian Architecture Elements, Design Study, Residential Buildings,

Abstract :

In the course of the last century, Iran, whose traditional architecture was based on its ancient philosophies and values combined with metaphysical concepts, found itself faced with different Western ideologies. Given that the number of valuable projects in the contemporary architecture of Iran has decreased, this study was an attempt to answer the following question: To what extent do the competitions held in Iran take into account the cognition and recreation of Iranian architectural elements, especially in residential buildings? In this study, Iranian architecture features and modern architecture features were classified in the categories of plan, ornament, material, volume and facade, and climatic features. In the next step, the award-winning residential projects over 10 years (from 2008 to 2017) were evaluated to determine their features. The research method was qualitative-quantitative. In the qualitative part, historical-analytical method and descriptive-analytical method were used to review award-winning projects and extract traditional and modern architecture elements. Logical reasoning method was used for data analysis, and SPSS was employed in the quantitative part. The sample of the study included 35 projects which had won "Memar-Award". The results show that in award-winning projects, the volume and façade, ornaments and materials were designed more based on the cognition of modern elements, while the plans were more based on the cognition of Iranian architecture. In general, modern elements were more frequently used in award-winning projects in comparison to traditional elements. Therefore, it can be claimed that "Memar-Award", in the residential sector, lead the contemporary architecture toward modern architecture.