Typology of Qajar houses in Kerman based on shape and spatial organization

The study of historical houses has always been considered for various reasons.  Some researches, by studying a collection of buildings, try to identify a type or types, which increases the quality and quantity of architecture cognition and their results can be compared with other typological studies. Researchers use different approaches and methods based on their questions and objectives. It is especially used for recognizing the aspects of building sharing and designing a species or pattern for them. Focusing on the shape and its combinations is one of the approaches that is useful for recognizing the similarities  and identifying a type or pattern for them.
In order to study the Qajar houses in Kerman city, this research focuses on their shape and geometric aspects and tries to extract the commonalities and similarities of the houses base on the organization of elements and the layout of spaces and if possible, propose a model for them. For this purpose, first, the houses that remained from the Qajar period in Kerman city and their documents were available were identified, then, for a systematic review, two indices of mass (micro scale) and Courtyard structure (macro scale) were applied, and their components were defined. Mass index examines the organization and composition of the elements of the house in the plan to give a clear and measurable understanding of the possible order of the elements in the different sides of the courtyard. The courtyard structure index examines the central role of the courtyard in the organization of the house. Examining the samples based on the mentioned indicators showed that some commonalities can be observed such as how to expand and develop the house as well as spatial organization in the houses. The second spatial layer was mostly formed on the north side and the room-corridor combination was the dominant combination of the plan. The elements that were placed in the facades of the courtyard, although they may have been coordinated with each other in terms of number, but they were not the same in terms of dimensions, and as a result, the symmetry that existed in the facade could not be seen in the plan. In a general view, it is possible to point out the architects' freedom of action and lack of symmetry in the organization of elements in the plan. Examining the courtyard from the orientation point of view showed that the north-south direction is more common than the east-west direction with a slight difference, but this orientation (north-south) was dominant in the houses that were larger and the second layers of space were added to them.
Similarities that can be seen in the formation of the second layer and facade  is a sign of the regularity of the spatial organization of the plan, and also the façade symmetry, which is a sign of the geometric formation of the plan. These similarities show the existence of a type; however, a freedom of action can be seen in the arrangement of facades and opposite sides of the courtyard and the architect's non-commitment to apply a complete symmetry and a specific pattern. It is necessary to mention the number of samples as one of the limitations of the research which is an important in choosing the samples.  However, in the course of its efforts to identify and introduce a species for Qajar houses in Kerman, some indicators for the analysis of houses which are not constrained to the specific period or building can be used in further researches on a large scale for different types of historical buildings.