Role and Impact of Media Space on Body of Iranian Contemporary Architecture (Case Study: Print Media)

Research Problem: 

Following the ever-increasing growth of media influence in different aspects of society, architecture is also one of the areas where the media's entry has caused fundamental changes. Many experts consider architecture as an important medium that has revealed the spirit of its time, and some others consider architecture to be derived from the media, which directly or indirectly affects architecture. Studying and understanding the influence of contemporary Iranian architectural body from the media space can lead to understanding the media space in the direction of the excellence of architecture as much as possible.

Research Question:

 Research questions "What are the representative indicators of media according to the studies conducted on the issue of media in interaction with the body of architecture?" and "How can the causal relationships between the extracted indicators be explained from the point of view of influence and effectiveness?

In this study, in addition to a comprehensive review of the findings of experts in the field of architecture and media, the critical principles for analyzing the relationship between the three critical factors of the audience, architecture and media have been examined. In this regard, the findings of the literature, including the dimensions and indicators related to the media have been evaluated and categorized. To carry out this step by studying library resources, the components are extracted and prioritized based on the amount of repetition in the conducted research compared to other identified components. Then, using the Delphi technique, the results have been approved by experts, including ten university professors and activists in the fields of architecture and media. In the continuation of the research process, case studies, including written media such as specialized architectural publications published from 1325 to 1398 have been investigated to answer the question of how the media affects the body of contemporary architecture in Iran and the obtained results have been analyzed. In the end, the influence and effectiveness of the media indicators under evaluation were analyzed using the DEMATEL multi-criteria decision-making technique in Excel software. Thus the causal relationships between the factors were determined.

Obtained results indicate that there is a significant interaction between the evolution of architecture in different aspects and the media space. The media acts as an effective mediator between the architectural work and the audience. This interaction between architecture and media is affected by the audience's desire. Therefore Architecture can operate freely, regardless of any predetermined policy, or can be created according to the defined goals and in a specific clause and framework. Using all the aforementioned available tools and capacities, the media can change the body of contemporary architectural buildings. The results show that the status and ownership of the media have the most significant impact on other characteristics. The role and function of the media are most influenced by others. In terms of interaction, the media audience and its role have the highest priority. The highest power of causal influence in characteristics belongs to the status and ownership of the media.