Courtyard Phenomena in Contemporary Architecture of Iran; Case Studies: Qajar and Pahlavi Era

Traditional architecture of Iran is a treasure of archetypes and is a concentration of riches patterns which is considered lost or forgotten in recent decades. New technology and international style made a big change in contemporary architecture of developing countries such as Iran. Therefore it is important to rethink about traditional treasures to find a way for prosperous future. Adoption of ancient archetypes and old traditional patterns is a utopic idea which is in in need of recognition at the first step. This paper is to recognize and rediscover Persian courtyard as a stunning phenomenon and explain its valuable role in unification of traditional Houses. The research questions are: 1- What are the most important functions of Persian courtyard in Traditional architecture of Iran? 2- How contemporary houses reflect courtyard as a traditional phenomenon? To answer the research questions، Dezful houses selected as case studies specially to show the role of Persian courtyards in contemporary Iranian architecture. Qajar and Pahlavi era as the most recent era of contemporary Iran selected for examination and verification of research questions. Persian courtyard is a kind of multifunctional spaces which make such complicated plans accessible and functionally efficient. Literature review of the paper show that Persian courtyard plays a crucial role in harmony of traditional buildings as well as their spiritual concept. Therefore Persian courtyard as a rich phenomenon enjoys physical besides conceptual meaning for traditional architecture of Iran. The results of the paper show that Persian courtyard plays a dispensable role in contemporary Iranian architecture especially in contemporary houses. The results indicate that Persian courtyard is a conceptual issue more than physical one and has been keeping its role for a long time as unifying issue.