Applying the Islamic Realism to Conceiving the Human Values of Place in Architecture

Transition in contemporary human life has led to the introduction of new concepts in various aspects of his life, including his relationship with the environment, and at the same rethinking old concepts is inevitable. In this regard, in recent years, more attention has been paid to Islamic realism to provide a new interpretation of Islamic architecture. However, the lack of proper development of the basic concepts of architecture and the lack of attention to the basic features and distinctions of realism has led to more relatively literalist results than such an approach to the development of architectural knowledge as applied knowledge. Overcoming this shortcoming requires attention to redefining the basic concepts of architecture based on the spirit of Islamic realism before entering into more detailed theories. Among these, the concept of place can be considered as one of the critical concepts due to the existing phenomenological definitions and in contrast to realism. If we consider the place as the result of a process of human-environment interaction, this interaction, like any interaction, is based on more fundamental concepts that are considered as the values by many thinkers. Accordingly, in this study, by fundamentally refining the realistic approach and highlighting its distinction from other approaches, the context has been laid down to redefine the fundamental concepts that shape human-environment interaction and ultimately lead to the emergence of place. In this way, the question arises as to how the realist approach defines the values that shape the place, and accordingly, how is the way of recognizing these values according to the sources of knowledge acquisition? Thus, according to the research approach and its philosophical nature, this paper follows the method of logical reasoning as the main approach and tries to gradually reach the main discussions by proposing a large-scale discussion. Based on what has been discussed in this process, Islamic realism in architecture is a perspective based on essentialist ontology, realist epistemology, and deductive methodology. Value in place is also debatable at four levels: form, substance, procedure, and facet. Place at the fourth level has concepts of value in the form of value structure that can be recognized only by observing the real-life of man in the individual and social dimension. The landscape is considered to be the largest field of observation and recognition of these values in the place and by accepting realism as an approach dominating the various pillars of knowledge, understanding and receiving these values can be understood only by studying human actions in shaping the environment and, there is no way to argue that. Accordingly, this research draws a framework in understanding the values ​​of place that according to the reality of human-environment interaction, explaining both the continuity of value structures and its evolution and dynamism concerning contemporary developments. In this structure, they construct and co-operate on human actions in interaction with the environment and shaping place. Accordingly, the realistic values ​​of place in the landscape are true both in its continuity and in its dynamics, and therefore realism in knowing the place requires the acceptance of both aspects of structuration and change of values. From this point of view, the realistic approach in architecture is not a reactionary view in the confrontation between Islamic culture and the West, but a new approach has been developed to respond to theoretical deficiencies in built-environmental sciences.