architecture

In the Iranian-Islamic cities, the mosque occupies a special place and has been associated with the civil society of Islam as the most prominent element of Islam. The importance of mosques in Islamic cities was such that if the city had no comprehensive mosque, it did not have urban significance. On the other hand, with the growth of the population and the expansion of the township, the necessity of building mosques in the city was urgent, which led to the construction of many mosques in the city. Therefore, it is important to study the location of mosques in Iranian-Islamic cities in contemporary times.The research method in this research is descriptive-analytical, and the information gathering method is field and library.For review, four contemporary mosques were selected in the city of Tehran (Shahrak-e-Waz Mosque, Hazrat Amir, Tehran University, and Vali Asr).Then, the indexes are analyzed, after analyzing the historical place of the mosques in the Iranian-Islamic city and the resolution of the High Council for Urban Planning and Architecture of the Mosques, and the various dimensions of the mosque's location are expressed. The results of the study showed that the developments of architecture and urbanism in the contemporary period have led to the achievement of restrictions on the criteria for locating the mosque. In some cases, including the Waalser Mosque in terms of closeness to the city of theater, even the location of the mosque has not been observed.

The commemorative towers of the Seljuk era in Iran have become a magnificent symbol of Iranian architectural history during the medieval Islamic period and require further investigation regarding their origins and architectural features. This research aims to examine the reasons behind the emergence, expansion, and architectural characteristics of these towers during the Seljuk period. Employing a qualitative approach, the study utilizes interpretive-historical and descriptive-analytical methods. The central question of the research addresses the origins and the role of the Seljuks in the formation and architectural development of these towers. To this end, the characteristics of the Seljuk rule and their distinctive features are first examined. Subsequently, the architecture of several prominent towers from this period, as well as the Gonbad-e Qabus tower from the pre-Seljuk era, and the existing perspectives on these structures are analyzed. The research findings reveal that the Seljuks played a pivotal role in the development and evolution of commemorative tower architecture by drawing upon the architectural heritage of earlier periods, particularly the Buyid and Ziyarid dynasties. During this era, mausoleum towers were often constructed as two-story structures, emphasizing significant height, with external domes designed to convey grandeur and symbolic significance. The primary factors behind the construction of these towers include the display of the Seljuk dynasty's power and magnificence, competition among rulers, and the emergence of new social classes. While deeply rooted in Iranian architectural traditions, these structures also reflect the political, social, and cultural transformations of the Seljuk era.

 Body and architecture have always influenced each other. Today, human beings are exposed to vast social changes due to the growth of technology and globalization, facing an intelligent world that is becoming smarter every day and awes them with its complexities. What will the future of humans look like in this new world shaped by technology, of which artificial intelligence is an example? And what changes does architecture undergo under the influence of new physical features of the human body?

It seems that the future body will be formed at the intersection of biology and digital technologies; a hybrid body – part human, part tools and technology – called the cyborg. The present study aims to answer the question ‘What will the architecture of the present century look like?’ by examining the physical characteristics of contemporary and future human beings, and it concludes by presenting some recommendations for the architecture of the future.

This study employed a library research methodology involving a review of the ways architecture can be influenced by the physiological characteristics of the body, the concept of communication, and the communication areas between the human body and its internal and external parts. The analysis started by categorizing these cases while discussing the examples of architecture inspired by the body.Then, the same process was followed for the new body, and the future implications of the study were scrutinized. 

The development of the scope of impact of the building by digital tools, the use of deep neural networks to make the building intelligent, and the use of fluids to communicate messages at the surface and depth of the building are among the suggestions presented as biomimetic architecture.

Educational spaces have always undergone changes influenced by cultural, social, and technological transformations. These changes, particularly in school architecture, have evolved in response to cultural conditions, educational needs, and external influences. This study adopts an analytical-historical approach, combining the analysis of historical documents to examine the evolution of modern school architecture in Iran during the Qajar and Pahlavi I and II periods (1871–1941). The research method is based on documentary-library studies, comparative analysis, and field visits, with data analysis carried out qualitatively. The findings show that school architecture, from the late Qajar period onward, was transformed under the influence of foreign institutions, missionaries, and modern Western ideologies. These influences are evident in the organization of spaces, building designs, changes in classroom arrangements, and the use of modern materials. Schools moved away from the traditional introverted structure and shifted toward extroverted, European spatial patterns. Key architectural changes include alterations in the entrance design, school courtyards, an increase in the number of classrooms, changes in the dimensions and proportions of educational spaces, and improvements in natural lighting. Additionally, the fusion of traditional and European architectural styles led to the emergence of eclectic-style buildings that, while retaining some local elements, incorporated modern construction methods, new technologies, and optimized spatial solutions.The results of this study indicate that the architecture of modern schools in Iran reflects broader educational, cultural, and social changes and was shaped by the country’s macro policies during the Qajar and Pahlavi eras. This research can serve as a foundation for further studies in the field of modern educational space architecture, examining the impacts of imported styles and adapting them to contemporary educational needs.

The Seljuks were one of the most essential governments that created extensive changes in Iran’s social, economic, and cultural structures in the early Islamic period (5th century) in the formation of the great Islamic empire. The presence of these nomadic people in a vast territory from Central Asia to Asia Minor caused their presence to be observed in a wide area. It established common historical roots for the countries present in the Iranian plateau. To better and more fully understand the Seljuks in Iran, apart from the main generalities such as economic, social, and cultural structures, it is necessary to examine the finer artistic details of this period. This article attempts to explore the hymns in this period after a general examination of Persian poetry and then, after examining architecture, to examine brickwork. The process of singing carols in the Anvari Divan is directly referenced. For brickwork, the construction of the domes of Nizam-ol-Molk and Taj-ol-Molk of the Grand Mosque of Isfahan is directly referenced.

Christopher Alexander introduces an interpretation about the architecture in the chapter “Face of God” of “Nature of Order: The Luminous Ground “.On the other hand, philosophers of phenomenology such as Martin Heidegger and Hans-Georg Gadamer also have theories about the interpreting of art-works, including architecture, which seem to be comparable to Alexander's ideas in some respects. This research intends to do a comparative analysis of Alexander's ideas with Heidegger's and Gadamer's ideas about the architecture. This analysis will be done by emphasizing two key concepts of Heidegger's and Gadamer's theories, that is, the concept of uncertainty in interpretation of texts and in author's intention, and concept of the interpreter's mental preinterpretation and subjective knowledge. The research is qualitative and fundamental, and it was conducted using the phenomenological method with a phenomenological hermeneutic approach. The results of the research emphasize the existence of a relationship between Alexander’s interpretation about architecture and the architect's mentality and Heidegger's and Gadamer's ontological theories on art and architecture. The results of examining the concept of uncertainty have shown that there is a closeness between the opinions of these three theorists regarding the existence of a truth behind the artwork and its appearance through architectural works. The results of the investigation of the concept of uncertainty have shown that the meaning of art-works is not definite and fixed for the mentioned philosopher, and according to Alexander, the art-works has a fixed truth. The results of the study of the concept of the interpreter's mental preinterpretation in architecture have also shown that Alexander's thoughts about internal knowledge are related to the architect's mentality and the creation of architecture, and according to Heidegger and Gadamer, internal knowledge, prejudices, and mentality are related to the audience and observer of the architectural work. Also, similarities between the thoughts of these three theorists were seen in the belief in the realization of the principle of unity between the creator and the art-work, and the audience and the art-work.

Understanding interdisciplinary issues in architectural design leads to the development of a methodology for the research process. The research process seeks to redefine design challenges by answering of research questions. It seems that the architectural design process has also transformed itself to keep pace with developments both in the social context and in terms of the importance of interdisciplinary issues. Changing the architectural research process according to the requirements of each time has been proposed in order to connect the design factors in a multi-directional way and respond to new challenges. In the tradition of interdisciplinary research in architecture and the humanities since the 1980s, the relationship between human behavior in space has often been measured in the form of behavioral sciences. This research, using cognitive sciences, aims to address the nature of man and his cognitive aspects, with regard to the recognition of the mind and memory as an essential part of the experience of architectural space. In this regard, a conceptual understanding of the impact of spatial eventfulness on human memory is examined. The purpose of this research is to explain the relationship between the spatial system and the sign system on the eventfulness of large-scale spaces based on cognitive sciences. That creates new opportunities to redefine the problem according to the current conditions, such as the importance of cognitive sciences in the direction of spatial system strategy and sign system in the architectural design. It seems that the spatial system has had a profound impact on the design and event-taking process of large-scale spaces, in such a way that it has also been able to transform the core of the process and production of architecture from the perspective of spatial indicators. The sign system is of great importance in recognizing spatial pieces, and the indicators of the sign system, in the form of symbolic features, have been able to reproduce the process of producing the content of spatial cognition. The method of this research is qualitative and in some analyses, quantitative analysis will be carried out in a combined and mixed nature, with an interpretive paradigm orientation. And the information will be collected through field research, including the use of existing information, observation and tracking. On the one hand, various manifestations of the spatial system and on the other hand, manifestations of the sign system are categorized, in which the focus is on providing the qualitative components needed to design spatial organization in crowded spaces through behavioral mapping. On the other hand, in order to analyze and analyze space, a quantitative cognitive method has been used through the space syntax technique. This relationship is analyzed with the help of logical reasoning. In order to implement the result on real manifestations, large-scale commercial centers in Iran and the United Arab Emirates and their users are evaluated as the research community. The achievement of this research shows that these two systems, spatial and sign, have different uses and effects on the Event-driven of space. The spatial system advances the field of Event-driven endogenously, directly, and immediately through spatial perception and experience, and the sign system indirectly and leads to the recognition of spatial fragments and recording in memory through recording and rereading.

This paper aims to examine and analyze the key components of expressionism that significantly shape interior space design. As an artistic movement, expressionism is deeply rooted in the portrayal of human emotions and thoughts, frequently influenced by social and political contexts. This study explores the intersection of expressionism and interior architecture, emphasizing how its core principles can be effectively incorporated into spatial design. Employing a mixed-methods research approach, this study utilizes qualitative content analysis within an inductive framework, incorporating open and axial coding techniques. MAXQDA software was used to systematically categorize codes and identify relevant themes. The findings highlight five major categories derived from 16 subcomponents, which define the essential characteristics of Expressionist-inspired interior architecture. In the quantitative phase, a non-random snowball sampling method was used to recruit 12 experts in painting and architecture to assess the applicability of these components. Additionally, a purposive, criterion-based sampling strategy was applied to select nine architectural case studies reflecting Expressionist elements. The results indicate that the most defining attributes of Expressionist-inspired interior architecture include curved forms, exaggerated and distorted geometries, and a deliberate rejection of strict naturalism. These elements collectively contribute to an intense and emotive spatial experience, a defining trait of Expressionist aesthetics. Moreover, this study identifies several strategies for successfully integrating Expressionist principles into contemporary interior design. These strategies encompass the use of unconventional materials and textures, strategic lighting to evoke mood and intensity, and dynamic color schemes that enhance emotional impact. Another crucial aspect is the incorporation of fluid, organic forms into spatial layouts, reinforcing the movement’s opposition to rigid symmetry and conventional design norms. Expressionism, when applied to interior space design, serves as an artistic bridge connecting architecture with a profound exploration of human emotions—particularly awe, melancholy, and introspection—which directly influence spatial perception and experience. The movement’s impact extends beyond aesthetics, shaping immersive environments that challenge traditional perceptions and provoke emotional engagement. By examining and categorizing the fundamental principles of expressionism in interior architecture, this research contributes to a broader discourse on how artistic movements inform and transform spatial design. The methodology adopted in this study involved an extensive analysis of both historical and contemporary Expressionist works, evaluating their structural and decorative elements to assess their applicability in modern interior architecture. The findings underscore the importance of emotional depth and artistic intentionality in spatial design, advocating for a more expressive and individualized approach to interior architecture. Ultimately, this study provides valuable insights into the role of expressionism in shaping interior environments, offering designers and architects a framework for integrating its principles into their work. For instance, the incorporation of undulating walls and vivid, emotionally charged color palettes in projects such as the Hundertwasser House in Vienna exemplifies how Expressionist principles can create engaging and immersive spaces. This research highlights the continued relevance of historical artistic movements in contemporary design discourse, affirming that interior spaces can function as expressive canvases for creativity and emotional depth. By bridging the gap between Expressionism and interior architecture, this study underscores the movement’s lasting influence and presents innovative pathways for future design exploration.

The concept of defense can be divided into two main categories: active and passive. Passive defense is closely linked to the fields of architecture and urban planning. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of historical texts and documents focused on the architectural process, it is necessary to refer to other sources to broaden the scope of historical studies of architecture. This research strives to answer the question of how passive defense principles related to architecture were implemented in the cities and villages that Nasser Khosrow visited. The current research is classified as fundamental-strategic research and aims to explain the type of defensive management of cities through inferential logic and a mixed approach of content analysis and interpretive-historical analysis by examining Nasser Khosrow's descriptions in his travelogue. Based on his descriptions, it becomes apparent that the management of defense relating to architecture varied depending on the region and the corresponding threats. Key variables such as the optimal location of the city, the construction of fortifications with diverse architecture, the protection of roads through the construction of ties, the construction of regional military bases, and the passive defense of the people's organization all played crucial roles in maintaining the defensive structure of the cities.

technology is in the middle of a transformative journey, and at the heart of this evolution there are two ground-breaking concepts: the metaverse, a parallel world in the technology industry, and virtual reality, a way to access this world. As these digital realms continue to evolve, their intersection creates unprecedented possibilities and changes the way we perceive and interact with the digital and physical worlds. This experience is facilitated by specialized devices, such as virtual reality headsets and controllers, that track users' movements. The purpose of this review is to familiarize with the new generation of architecture and to present terminology in the new literature of the third millennium. The complexities of virtual reality and metaverse, revealing their individual dimensions and uncovering their connection and application in architecture are the features of these topics. The main question is to understand the connection between the metaverse and virtual reality technology and how architects work in this space and the opportunities created on this platform. The research method in this article is a practical method and from the point of view of collecting information, it is a review based on the background of the research, and the written information is from documents on the Internet, books and articles that are mostly published in English in recent years.Therefore, it has been tried to provide up-to-date and useful information in the field of metaverse and virtual reality by accurately translating the contents. ​

Cinema is a medium that shows human life experience in concrete form. Every event in a film depends on the space, place and time of its occurrence. The conscious or unconscious architecture of the film is done by the filmmaker and emphasizes certain emotions through the architecture of images. The style of depth of field with cinematic capabilities such as open lens, perspective, image clarity, the use of ceiling decorations plays the ability to create a new perception of space in the history of cinema. This study has been carried out with the aim of investigating the modern perception of space from the perspective of phenomenology in the style of depth of field. The qualitative method, "descriptive-analytical-phenomenological", is used in this study, which it is not from the selection of interviews but from the moving images of Citizen Kane film from the perspective of phenomenology. The present study of film is a descriptive-visual-phenomenological of the experience of space. The depth of field style due to having cinematic potential has the ability to portray the close relationship of the actor with the space and the place where the action takes place. The depth of field style gives the viewer the right to choose to view the current events in space. Also, it concretely shows the character in relation to the space and stage decoration with its spatial integrity. In analysis of Citizen Kane film, the depth of field style is discussed with the dramatic meaning of physical and non-physical elements of space from the perspective of phenomenology. The film is analyzed based on the theories of Christian Norberg-Schulz and Juhani Pallasmaa about the existential space of cinema. In the Citizen Kane film, the main character loses his centrality and identity after leaving his childhood home. Home, especially childhood home, is considered as the center of human existence, and leaving it unintentionally makes the main character feel a sense of identity lessness and lack of dependence on other spaces. Zanador Palace has lost the ability to create a sense of place and being at home due to the inconsistency of human dimensions with the space and the failure to establish the dialectic between indoor and outdoor spaces through high-altitude windows. Home is the center of human existence and the type of communication and attachment to it guarantees other spatial attachments.

The study of building architecture in cities in terms of form, climate and historical-evolutionary in order to coordinate the urban physical environment, is of particular importance. Due to its geographical and climatic location, the city of Zahedan has special buildings in the Pahlavi period, the entrance of which is one of the most significant parts of them. In this study, the purpose of studying the architecture of prominent buildings of the Pahlavi period in the city of Zahedan is to develop in line with the physical coordination of the city with a focus on decoration. The research method is descriptive-analytical and quantitative-qualitative. Data has been collected through interviews with 10 experts about 13 important works of this period in Zahedan. Through the questionnaire tool and using the AHP method, the characteristics of the building as well as 13 important buildings of this historical period were prioritized. Examining the quantitative results and comparing these buildings based on facade decorations shows that the courthouse with a final weight of 0.247 compared to 12 other buildings is known as the most important building of the Pahlavi period due to various architectural features, which ranks first in this priority. The classification is located. The second rank of this priority of building importance is related to Zahedan Post Museum with a weight of 0.2020. Also, Abui house with a weight of 0.113 and Shams house with a final weight of 0.092 are in the third and fourth ranks. According to the results, the total of workers' dormitories with a weight of 0.014 and also the complex of Ghods dormitories with a weight of 0.017 are ranked 13th and 12th in this priority. Therefore, based on the results of the Justice Building and the Post Museum, the most important buildings of the Pahlavi period in the city of Zahedan are known, which have a significant value and architecture compared to other buildings and architecture compared to other buildings and they can be used as a model for designing the body of urban roads.

Creativity is one of the most influential factors in architectural education and is the most important tool in increasing the designer's power in the architectural design process. The purpose was to examine the effect of employing computer software on improving students' modeling skills and creativity. This research is an applied study that employs a descriptive-analytical design and causal-comparative methodology. The students were assigned to two separate classrooms of 30 students from which were taught architecture design using computer software, and the students from which practiced only modeling and hand drawings. Two-sample t-test for independent groups employed for data analysis in this research. The P_value for creativity has been calculated as 0.001 and for modeling equal to 0.000, which can be concluded that at the level of 5% error, the averages of the two software methods and free hand have a significant difference. Also, the correlation value between creativity and modeling in software-oriented and freehand-oriented methods is significant, and the positiveness of the coefficients indicates the existence of a direct relationship between the two variables. The results indicated that the use of architectural software applications were shown improve the modeling skills and creativity of students owing to their perceived higher accuracy of drawing and the capacity to edit and apply changes on the design.

Children are valuable assets of society and many factors affect their optimal growth. One of the most important factors is the environment in which the child learns. This research aims to find the environmental standards of the ideal children's kindergarten for use in architectural design. The current research consists of two parts, in the first part, through a descriptive qualitative method, it examines the characteristics of children in terms of mental perception and also analyzes children's drawings. The statistical population in this research is all the children of the four-star kindergartens in Urmia, 192 boys and girls aged 4 to 6 years, and the research tool is children's drawings under the title "Drawing of their favorite kindergarten". The obtained results show that factors such as open space, resting place, nature, play facilities, variety of colors, variety of space, communal space, lighting, easy access, furniture, security, music, and flexibility are the characteristics that children need from kindergarten. Their interest is expected. The second part of the research is fundamental in terms of purpose and quantitative in terms of method. After getting to know the factors expected by children, to measure the research's reliability, a semi-open questionnaire was prepared in the form of a Likert scale and given to 10 experts in this field. Then it was investigated by the Delphi technique in three rounds. The results of the research show that the factors mentioned by the children are the ideal kindergarten environmental criteria from the experts' point of view.

Problem statement:

 Understanding and redefining the relationship between spatial configuration and the way audiences perceive and interact with their environment is a key area of knowledge in the architectural design process. In this context, the ISOVIST theory, based on analyzing and translating spatial characteristics and geometry, provides an operational framework to explore this relationship. However, it appears that the topological content of space has received less attention in this field, leaving some layers of the designer’s perception and audience experience obscured. 

This study aims to formulate and structure the geometric analyses of the Isovist theory to explain the relationship between spatial visibility variables and visitor presence density. It seeks to redefine the geometric-topological layers within cognitive-behavioral frameworks of space to better understand architecture.

This study used quantitative and analytical methods to examine the correlation between variables and values in the Iran-Iraq War Museum exhibition complexes. Field observations were conducted by timing and tracking visitor stop-and-move patterns using CCTV cameras. Data analysis utilized machine learning techniques based on regression models and significance testing for correlation. The study employed the concept of a topological graph of cognitive-behavioral systems, focusing on various museum sections, including exhibition, interactive, simulation, and recreational spaces.

The findings indicate diverse patterns of interaction between spatial configuration and visitor behavior across the museum’s four areas. Factors such as Z radial, 3d integration, visual dispersion, uniform distribution of the field of view, and curvilinear forms play a central role in forming audience experiences. The results suggest that specific and independent analyses of museum spaces based on their functions provide a more accurate understanding of the relationship between space and user behavior. Furthermore, this study underscores the necessity of critiquing and revising the space syntax theory to expand its applicability in the realm of non-geometric and topological cognitive-behavioral systems.

The interplay between interior and exterior spaces has long intrigued scholars and designers. Historically, interiors were seen as private domains, while exteriors were linked to public functions. However, these traditional definitions have evolved, prompting a reassessment of the boundaries between these realms. This article redefines urban space, traditionally public, through the lens of interiority—a quality often associated with privacy—by examining how interiority manifests in urban contexts. The study begins with an exploration of interiority, analyzing its theoretical dimensions and its capacity to transcend physical architecture. Interiority is presented as a temporal and perceptual experience rather than a mere physical enclosure, allowing it to emerge in open urban environments. This perspective broadens the scope of interiority from private spaces to public urban spaces, challenging conventional boundaries. Next, the concepts of "public interior space" and "urban interior space" are investigated, focusing on their intersections with public and private domains. These hybrid spaces create new opportunities for interaction, engagement, and a sense of belonging, blurring traditional distinctions. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology and theoretical insights, the research identifies the diverse ways interiority manifests in urban settings. Specific urban examples, illustrated through images, demonstrate the physical and psychological dimensions that shape the perception and realization of interiority. The findings highlight two primary dimensions of urban interiority: physical and psychological. The physical dimension encompasses architectural elements and spatial arrangements that define urban interior spaces, while the psychological dimension fosters a deeper connection between individuals and their surroundings. Together, these dimensions create environments that transcend functionality, enhancing emotional well-being and fostering a sense of comfort, familiarity, and belonging. This duality helps alleviate alienation and disorientation in urban settings, enabling individuals to redefine their identity within their environment. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating interiority into urban design, suggesting that spaces attuned to both physical and psychological dimensions can foster richer, more meaningful urban experiences. By blurring the boundaries between public and private realms, these spaces promote unity and coherence in fragmented urban landscapes. The article concludes that incorporating interiority into urban design can create human-centered environments that support personal and collective engagement while enhancing the emotional and psychological connection between individuals and the modern city. This integration offers a pathway to reimagining urban spaces as places that not only serve functional needs but also inspire creativity, social interaction, and cultural expression, providing opportunities for identity formation, connection, and meaningful engagement within the complexities of contemporary urban life.

The present research has studied the reading of Sheikh Latafullah Mosque with a semiotic approach based on the originality of meaning. It seems that the art of Iranian architecture, especially in the design of mosques and religious places, was formed with the principles of semiotics, especially based on the originality of meaning. The purpose of this research is to find a suitable model for reading the structures of Sheikh Latfullah Mosque. The basic question is how to analyze the structural reading of Sheikh Latfullah Mosque from the semantic point of view. The research method is theoretical with qualitative variables and logical and philosophical reasoning. The generalities and structures of the studied building were made in the five systems of the text creation platform, and then with the initial coding and classification, the concepts in three levels of explicit, implicit and symbolic meaning; has been extracted. The results show that the symbolic meaning of the mosque can be expressed under the title "Architecture of the Sheikh Latfullah Mosque, a phenomenon for the actualization of the divine word in the direction of refining the human soul".

Since architecture is realized in relation to human beings, it is necessary to know the relationship between architecture and human existence.  In the meantime, it seems that the art of Iranian gardening in the Islamic period embodied meanings and beliefs in a way that is related to the areas of human life.  Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explain how the art of Iranian gardening in the Islamic period is related to human existence from the point of view of Islam.  It provides for the research. The type of qualitative and fundamental research is based on the descriptive-analytical method with the use of logical reasoning. The data collection is done through documentary, library and field studies.  In conclusion, the findings of the research show that the art of Iranian gardening in an esoteric concept is proportional and corresponding to the four souls of humans, plants, animals, It is rational and spiritual.