Explaining the Concept of Spatial Hierarchy in the Settlement Model of Qajar Period (Case-Study: Tehran Aristocratic Houses)

The principle of hierarchy is one of the main concepts in architecture. Living space is a place in which studying the principle of hierarchy is necessary. The Iranian residential tradition has long been built upon various experiences of nature, culture, and religion in the framework of seemingly diverse bodies and sometimes with many contradictions and similar principles. Therefore, scrutinizing the past architecture is incomplete without searching the popular style of architecture and recognizing its socio-cultural components. In order to understand the effect of architecture, it seems necessary to review its context, daily interactions, and the material and spiritual needs that have crystallized in the form of that particular architecture. The architecture principle has been expressed in different ways in residential buildings in various styles of Iranian architecture. Due to this principle, the arrangement of the connected spaces and the added spaces to the building's spatial structure in different periods has undergone various changes and transformations in its appearance. Yet, it has sustained its roots and originality. Today, contemporary designers and employers have created buildings disregarding the rich Iranian culture. This research, seeking to find the components of spatial hierarchy and its qualitative and quantitative components in the language of the Qajar building model in Tehran, examines the existing historical and cultural evidence. The study scrutinizes the traditional houses built in Qajar period in Tehran and compares the case studies for final analysis. This study aims to explain the concept of spatial hierarchy and compare the morphological view of the residential buildings in the settlement model of Qajar period.

The research adopts a combined research method, referring to the cultural heritage and studies of available resources. As a result, a list of houses has been prepared, and some have been selected by the critical and non-targeted methods for further scrutiny. The samples studied in this study are traditional houses of Qajar period in Tehran (pre-Nasserite period: before the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah / Nasserite period: Nasser al-Din Shah's reign / post-Nasserite period: Muzaffar al-Din Shah reign before Pahlavi ). The final results are achieved based on the comparison and presentation of the final analysis of the studied samples. This study has been conducted with reference to a bibliographic method, field observation, and mapping methods. It has finally come to the final conclusion by physically and structurally analyzing the spaces and understanding residential proportions and geometry.

The data obtained from the explanatory diagrams and UCL Depthmap software were used with the space syntax method to extract the results. The data were reviewed and analyzed after collection. The spatial connections in the late Qajar period show almost no vestibule for accessing the connected spaces. Adding a separate entrance was more considered in design and construction. Finally, in the pre-Nasserite period, the highest level of spatial integration and depth is observed.

The results indicate that the three indicators of depth, connection, and interconnectedness in the three periods before Nasserite / Nasserite and after Nasserite have been associated with a decrease in introversion, generality, and integration over time.