Study of Components Reading in the Individual-Collective Space of the Courtyard in Traditional House (Historical Houses of Central Iran in the Qajar and Safavid Eras)
Subject Areas : Life Space Journal
Hosna Varmaghani
1
(Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Qazvin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin, Iran.)
Keywords: Safavid, Qajar, Courtyard, Central Iran, components, Historical House,
Abstract :
The body of each architectural work is made up of specific Components, the way in which these Components are organized and compounded affects the special relationships that flow between the main and secondary spaces inside the building. The Component is the determining part in a material or spiritual being that includes all the physical beings of the building, its environment, and also the concepts that lead to the determination of the social identity of the building; and its study in an analytical circle is the way and procedure of recognizing the architectural space. The yard has a special place and necessity in the spatial structure of Iranian housing and has been of great importance in terms of climate, function, cultural and social relations. The Iranian courtyard as a place of manifestation of values that arose from culture, society and the environment and its components reflected the tastes of users, expresses a variety of values that define their identity and cultural characteristics and affect their individuality to the extent of intellectual and taste determinations. The courtyard was the center of common activities of the people of the house, which reduced the distance between the individual functions of the courtyard by defining places to sit through the beds by the pond, opening the doors of the rooms to the courtyard, furnishing and diversifying and continuing the use of porches. Using descriptive-analytical, historical, and phenomenological interpretive methods and relying on historical evidences, the present study examines the characteristics and aspects of Components in the traditional courtyard and argues for its individual-collective identity. In the meantime, it examines the historical houses of Central Iran in the Qajar and Safavid eras. The research questions are: 1. what are the characteristics and aspects of each Component in the courtyards of historic houses? 2. How can the individual-collective identity of a courtyard in a traditional house be argued on the basis of historical evidence? The research method is descriptive-analytical, historical, and phenomenological interpretation and is based on the fact that the required data were identified from historical books, biographies and travelogues and valid historical documents. Then, based on these data, the Components in the courtyard were explored; and it was determined that each of the Components in the courtyards of historic houses have which characteristics and aspects. The individual-collective identity of the traditional courtyard was also argued on the basis of historical evidence. In reviewing the results and analyzing the research findings, two points are considered; one is the application of the results in today's society and the other is the generalization of the findings to the whole society and public culture. Examining the components in the yards of the studied houses also reveals two points. First, the physical-spatial features of the yard, which in this study are included in the physical component, while meeting the functional needs, create other branches of cultural, social, ritual, natural components and recreation and pleasure environment. Second, the physical structure of the yard, which can be examined in two hard and soft layers of the building and fixed, semi- fixed and temporary elements; has provided the possibility of performing various functions in cultural, social, ritual and recreational contexts by forming common or separate realms and has led to the emergence of individual-collective identity in the traditional courtyard. What is important is the compatibility and cohesion of the components in the open-semi-open spatial structure of the courtyard areas in the historical houses of Central Iran, which provides the possibility of individual / collective behaviors. Findings show that the physical Component, while meeting the functional needs, creates other cultural, social, ritual, natural and pleasure Components Which has made it possible to perform a variety of functions by forming common or separate territories; that has led to the emergence of individual-collective identity in the traditional courtyard. What is important is the compatibility and cohesion of the Components in the open-semi-open spatial structure of the courtyard areas in the historical houses of Central Iran, which provides the possibility of individual / collective behaviors. The characteristics and dimensions of the Components discussed in this article will pave the way for future research in the analysis of the coherence aspects of other shape patterns of houses.
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