In Search of the Meaning of Home: Explaining the Physical Components Reflecting Its Meaning Through the Theoretical Lens of PhenomenologyCase study: Hamedan Yard Houses

Home, an environment in which human lives, is tied up to all aspects of his life. However, over the past few decades, it has turned into a lifeless cage and no longer evokes the connotation of home for its inhabitants. For this reason, recognizing the physical components contributing to its meaning as a place can be of great help to create meaningful places for humans in the future.

This article aims to explore the meaning of home and identify its physical components using the phenomenological approach and it hopes that the application of its concepts to today’s homes can improve their quality.

This study employed a qualitative approach and Grounded Theory method. Data were collected through three methods. To this purpose, first, based on library documents, the concepts, theories related to the meaning of place in the phenomenology and dimensions of human existence were examined. To explain the meaningful physical components of the home, the obtained data were analyzed using the theoretical framework of ontological phenomenology. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA 20 software, then open, axial, and selective coding was done and transformed into concepts, categories, and then components. Based on the interviews, 197 codes were extracted. The interviewees were conducted with three groups and the theoretical saturation of the data occurred after the interview with a total of 35 participants.

The findings suggest there are five physical components including space, yard, decoration, lighting, and furniture through which the meaning of the home has been crossed, each of which implies connotations. According to the existential basis of this study, the meaning of home for people is established when it is beyond the physical dimension and represents his being through motion, time, God, heaven, and Earth and it includes various meanings that are rooted in his being.