Evaluation of Architectural Design Indicators of Mosques as Multipurpose bases with Passive Defense Approach

Multipurpose crisis management bases as a suitable place in critical situations is one of the best solutions to reduce the amount of damages. Mosque, besides being a place of worship, historically played a very important role in creation, cultivation and strengthening the social sources, as well as a popular base and a bulwark to fight against enemy; it may also consider as a multipurpose crisis management base. This study tries to consider centrality role of mosque in Islamic society unity and necessities of Islamic-Iranian architecture along with defensive considerations according to the wide range of general indicators and necessity of considering the passive defense indicators in order to perfect design of this strategic place. In this study some indicators prepared and evaluate in order to design a mosque as a multipurpose base using descriptive analytic method. A questionnaire was filled by experts and then the indicators were evaluated. Multipurpose crisis management bases as a suitable place in critical situations is one of the best solutions to reduce the amount of damages. Since mosques are among the civilian and non-strategic places, they can use as a safe base as well as a crisis management headquarter in a time of crisis or enemy attacks considering the defensive considerations in design. The centrality role of mosque as regards a religious and spiritual structure should consider in design. The necessities of Islamic-Iranian architecture along with defensive considerations and essential basis of passive defense such as camouflage and hiding should be applied in a delicate architectural approach in which there is no loss to the urban engineering and Islamic-Iranian architecture necessities. Based on the results, three criteria of considering the essential conditions, connection to the ground and ergonomic design, respectively, are the most important factors and three criteria of the connection between the interior spaces of the mosque, the form and accesses, respectively, are identified as the least significant factors.