Being Home; An Exploratory Study on Residents’ Descriptions of the Meaning of Home in the Middle Texture of Kermanshah (Patterns for Improving the Apartments)

Problem statement: 

The question of the quality and the meaning of home is a profound question, which is as old as human life. In this connection, the wide gap in research between home architecture and the texture called home in today’s life requires investigating the relationship between these two areas. A relationship also involves the missing link between the position of residents and their understanding of what they experience by staying in homes. How can the architectural patterns of apartment homes and the main spaces constituting them be improved to meet residents’ needs based on how they define the meaning of home? How can these patterns be converted into generalizable patterns of various forms?

The goal of this study was to understand the core criteria underlying the meaning of home from the views of residents, represent this meaning in home architecture, and then develop patterns for improving the existing situation of apartments based on residents’ parameters for approaching life-centered environments. 

The present study used a qualitative approach and had an applied goal. This study also fell under descriptive-analytical methods and data were collected from library sources and field surveys. Also, data were analyzed by using the Grounded Theory method. Here, to collect data, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 residents of apartment homes located in the middle texture of the city of Kermanshah, Iran. The sampling process continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Also, field observation and surveys of existing spaces were carried out. 

The repetitive and uniformity of architectural forms of various scales cannot turn a living place into being home; rather, it is the patterns that function to turn living places into being home. In this connection, three patterns of various scales were examined within six main spaces of apartment homes; personal rooms, private rooms, collective spaces, semi-open spaces, entrances, and kitchens. The layering of pre- and post-spaces beyond interior spaces, broken patterns in spaces with private-public accessibilities, and middle spaces were found to be the main optimal patterns in all spaces.